Jumpsuit for The Wiz costume worn by André De Shields: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Jumpsuit from The Wiz costume ensemble worn by André De Shields in the original 1975 Broadway production. The cream jumpsuit has silver and clear rhinestone decorations. The jumpsuit is a full-length garment with bell-bottom flared pant legs and full-length sleeves made from a cream twill synthetic fiber. The jumpsuit closes at the center front with a silver zipper that runs from the waistline to the bottom of the stand-up collar. An asymmetric flap of the cream twill fabric covers the zipper and fastens with Velcro™ to the proper right front side. The edge of the flap is decorated with silver rhinestones that are also sewn to the proper left side of the body of the jumpsuit in a mirror image, creating the appearance of a bib front. There are two hook and eye closures at the proper front neck opening. The proper back bodice of the jumpsuit has two darts that form a tapered waist. A silver sequin five-pointed star is sewn at the center of the proper back side just below the waistline. The set-in sleeves are straight to the wrist, with five silver rhinestones sewn in a line at the outward facing cuff of each sleeve. The jumpsuit is not lined. There are areas of wear throughout the jumpsuit and some areas of active corrosion.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1975
• Worn by: André De Shields, American, born 1946
• Designed by: Geoffrey Holder, Trinidadian American, 1930 - 2014
• Type: jump suits
• Medium: polyester, rhinestone, sequin, metal and Velcro™
• Dimensions: H x W (flat): 61 1/2 × 26 1/2 in. (156.2 × 67.3 cm)
• Dimensions: Inseam: 33 1/2 in. (85.1 cm)
• Place used: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Broadway Theatre
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Costume
• Topic: Costume design
• Topic: Design
• Topic: Entertainers
• Object number: 2018.1.3.3
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of André De Shields
• 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.