Gown worn by Ava Cherry
date: label: Date
content: 1980s
name: label: Created by
content: Tony Chase, American, 1952- ca. 1990
label: Owned by
content: Luther Vandross, American, 1951 - 2005
label: Worn by
content: Ava Cherry, American
notes: label: Description
content: Red and black beaded gown designed by Tony Chase and worn by Ava Cherry in performances with Luther Vandross.
label: Description
content: The body of the gown is red and is covered with wavy strands of thin, red beads, which were sewn on. The sleeves have shoulder pads inside. The shoulders, neckline and chest, hips, and the forearm section of the sleeves have geometric designs in black and clear beads. The sleeves have red zippers starting at the wrists. The hips have a peplum going around them. It has pointed and rounded edge flaps of varying sizes. The reverse side of the peplum is lined in red. There are several areas on the dress where the red beads are missing. In addition to the missing beads, there are a few loose threads on the dress. The gown has a large slit which goes up the center front of the dress. The gown also has a long train, with edges in varying lengths. The geometric beaded designs carry over to the back of the gown. At the back of the neck there is a metal fastener and a black zipper. The back of the train features an intricate, beaded geometric design.
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Clothing and dress
label: Topic
content: Costume
label: Topic
content: Rhythm and blues (Music)
label: Topic
content: Singers (Musicians)
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Clothing - Costume
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Seveda Williams in Celebration of the Musical Legacy of her Uncle, Luther Vandross
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2018.86.5
objectType: label: Type
content: gowns
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Unknown - Restrictions Possible
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: polyester, silk, rhinestone, plastic, and thread
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (Height, flat; Width, shoulders): 86 × 18 in. (218.4 × 45.7 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (Width- hips): 17 in. (43.2 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (Width- train, flat): 34 in. (86.4 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: L x W (Length- sleeve): 21 in. (53.3 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: L x W (Length- slit): 19 in. (48.3 cm)