Tuxedo trousers from the travel wardrobe trunk used by Cab Calloway: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A pair of size 39-41 Regular, After Six, Dynasty Collection tuxedo trousers from the travel wardrobe trunk used by Cab Calloway. The gray tuxedo trousers are constructed from a fabric with a plain tweed weave with thin, vertical, light gray and dark gray woven stripes. The trousers are pleated at the front with two pleats on each side of the waist. They have side pockets and an adjustable waistband. At the waistband are fabric tabs that loop through matte silver tone, metal sliders on either side of the front waistband to adjust the size of the waistband. There are thin, solid gray, satin stripes running down the side of each trouser leg. The interior waistband is lined with plain black fabric and the trousers have a light gray front zipper with two hook and eyes above. Sewn to the proper left side of the interior waistband is a white fabric tag with red printed text that reads [TO ADJUST: SLIDE TABS THEN CLOSE. / R 5 39-41 / PROFESSIONALLY DRY CLEAN ONLY / LOW MOISTURE / STEAM PRESS / 3317 MADE IN U.S.A.] with [after Six FORMALS] printed in small, red, vertical text along the left edge. The back of the pants feature double welted pockets with a button closure for the pocket on the proper left side.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1984
• Manufactured by: After Six, Inc., American, founded 1903
• Worn by: Cab Calloway, American, 1907 - 1994
• Type: trousers
• Type: tuxedoes
• Medium: satin on cloth with metal and plastic
• Dimensions: H x W (Flat): 41 13/16 × 21 7/8 in. (106.2 × 55.6 cm)
• Place made: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Band (Music)
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Conductors (Musicians)
• Topic: Costume
• Topic: Entertainers
• Topic: Jazz (Music)
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: A2015.273.1.1.55.2
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Cabella Calloway Langsam
• 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: No known copyright restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.