Pink, green, and gold floral brocade costume worn by Little Richard: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A two-piece costume ensemble designed by Melvin James and worn by Little Richard consisting of a top (a) and pants (b) in gold satin with a pink and green floral brocade pattern trimmed in hot pink fringe. The top has a high neckline with fuschia sequins at the collar and exaggerated kimono-style sleeves that fall to mid-calf length. There is pink fringe around the collar, hem, and wrists. There is a zipper closure at the back of the shirt and a label reading [A / Melvin James / Original / Detroit, Mich.]. The matching bell bottomed pants have three layers of pink fringe at the ankles. There is a metal fastener and zipper closure at the interior right waistband.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: late 1960s
• Designed by: Melvin James, American
• Worn by: Little Richard, American, 1932 - 2020
• Type: shirts
• Type: trousers
• Medium: satin, brocade, fringe, sequin, and metal
• Dimensions: H x W (a. shirt): 27 1/2 × 23 × 38 1/2 in. (69.9 × 58.4 × 97.8 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (b. pants): 41 × 13 1/2 in. (104.1 × 34.3 cm)
• Place made: Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Composers (Musicians)
• Topic: Costume
• Topic: Gospel (Music)
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Musicians
• Topic: Rhythm and blues (Music)
• Object number: 2020.53.1ab
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: Unknown – Restrictions Possible Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.