Dress worn by Amber Riley as Mercedes Jones on Glee
date: label: date made
content: around 2010
name: label: wearer
content: Riley, Amber
label: designer
content: Yoo, Jenny
label: maker
content: Eyrich, Lou
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: Dress worn by Amber Riley in the role of Mercedes Jones on the television series Glee. The v-neck, sleeveless, aqua blue shantung dress was modified from a bridesmaids dress made by Los Angeles bridal designer Jenny Yoo; Glee costume designer Lou Eyrich added black sashes around the waist and applied costume jewels from a deconstructed BCBG necklaces to the front neckline. The dress has a zipper closure at the back with crossed straps just below the neckline, and is lined with a satin-like fabric. The female members of the New Directions glee club wore these dresses to the regional competition in "Original Song," episode sixteen of the second series of the season, which aired March 15, 2011.
label: Description (Brief)
content: Glee was an American comedy-musical-drama television series created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan. The series, which originally aired on Fox from 2009 to 2015, told the story of The New Directions, a glee club comprised of a diverse group of students at the fictional McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio. Episodes chronicled the group’s journey to success in show choir competition while navigating interpersonal conflicts, overcoming the challenges of high school life, and grappling with issues of identity. Over the course of six seasons, Glee became a popular hit, especially among preteen and teen fans who referred to themselves as “Gleeks”. The show received generally positive reviews from critics, especially for its deliberate and sensitive treatment of issues of identity, race, sexuality, and bullying. Cast recordings of popular songs performed on the show sold millions of copies around the world, especially as digital singles, and inspired karaoke and home video game releases as well. The series won numerous awards including the Golden Globe for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy, multiple Emmy Awards for individual performances, and a Peabody Award in 2009.
label: Description (Brief)
content: Riley portrayed Mercedes Jones, a talented African American singer who contends with Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) for leadership and solos in the New Directions. Over the course of the series, the Mercedes character evolved from a one-note, sassy and loud Black female background character to a more fully-fleshed and central member of the main cast. She begins to advocate for her talent, she has her own love stories, and she becomes an integral member of the New Directions.
label: Description (Brief)
content: This costume was worn during season two episode 16, “Original Song.” In the episode, many of the characters are forced to seek out, acknowledge, and express personal pain through song writing. Through the creation and performance of their “original songs” at Regional competition, various characters convey their private feelings to each other and audience members. With their song “Loser Like Me,” written in response to the bullying behavior of Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch), the New Directions win the competition, demonstrating their resistance against inferior treatment.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: California, Los Angeles
topic: label: Subject
content: Television
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
label: See more items in
content: Popular Entertainment
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2021.0127.05.01
label: accession number
content: 2021.0127
label: catalog number
content: 2021.0127.05.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: dress
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: silk, polyester (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal, plastic (costume jewels material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 34 1/2 in x 33 in x 1 in; 87.63 cm x 83.82 cm x 2.54 cm