Red silk gown worn by Shirley Verrett: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

The spaghetti strap v-neck dress is floor length and is made from several layers of a flowy silk chiffon. The collar comes down into a point on either side of the neckline and it is covered in gold sequins. In between the two flaps of the collar there is a beaded pattern sewn onto the dress. It contains red round beads, red cylindrical beads, and clear rhinestones. The gold sequins continue on to the back of the dress. There is a red plastic zipper down the back of the dress. There is a white rectangular tag on the inside of the dress along the tag. It has black text which reads [STAVROPOULOS / NEW YORK ATHENS].

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1960-1990
• Designed by: George Peter Stavropoulos, Greek, 1920 - 1990
• Owned by: Shirley Verrett, American, 1931 - 2010
• Type: gowns
• Medium: silk, chiffon, sequin, beads, rhinestone, and thread
• Dimensions: H x W (width at straps): 51 1/2 × 13 in. (130.8 × 33 cm)
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Costume
• Topic: Costume design
• Topic: Design
• Topic: Fashion
• Topic: Opera (Music)
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: A2019.88.1.5
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Francesca LoMonaco in memory of Shirley Verrett
• 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.