Yellow and black pants worn by Bootsy Collins: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A pair of yellow leather trousers with wide flared legs and black leather details worn by Bootsy Collins. The pants are part of a costume ensemble designed by Tom the Leatherman (Tom Wojciechowski). The pants are flat front, wide leg style, with a front zipper, a one (1) snap closure, and seven (7) belt loops. The front of the proper right leg is decorated with the words [FRESH/ "PEE"] surrounding two (2) black leather horizontal stripes with a large black star in the middle. There is one (1) smaller black leather star applique topstitched to the lower center of the proper left leg. The trousers have one (1) embellished diagonal pocket at the front proper left hip, with four (4) small black leather stars topstitched along the edge. The interior of the pants are lined to the knee with a black synthetic fabric.

On the verso, there are two (2) very large patch pockets, each trimmed with small decorative stars all along the edge. Each pocket has a large rectangular flap that secures with a two (2) snap closure. Inside each pocket is another patch pocket with no closure.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1990
• Designed by: Tom the Leatherman, American
• Worn by: Bootsy Collins, American, born 1951
• Type: trousers
• Medium: leather, synthetic fiber and metal
• Dimensions: H x W (flat): 44 1/2 × 17 in. (113 × 43.2 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (pant leg hem): 38 1/2 in. (97.8 cm)
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Costume
• Topic: Costume design
• Topic: Design
• Topic: Funk (Music)
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2015.234.2.2
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Bootsy Collins
• 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.