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Museum object · Clothing - Costume

Costume dress for Lady in Orange from for colored girls... on Broadway

1976-1978

New York City, Manhattan County, New York, United States, North and Central America

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Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

Sleeveless dress costume for the character Lady in Orange from the original Broadway production of Ntozake Shange's choreopoem "for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf." The dress is made from orange satin synthetic fabric with the crepe finished wrong side facing. The bodice has a sweetheart neckline, scooped back, and front shaping with princess darts, ending at the natural waistline. The neckline and armholes are edged with the orange fabric, with the shiny satin side facing. There is a length of self-fabric piping around the waist, again with the shiny satin side facing. The full circle skirt falls at the knee and is hemmed with serged stitching in orange thread. The dress closes at the center back with a metal zipper, with two (2) metal hook-and-eye fasteners, one at the top of the back and the second at the waist.

Sources & collection details

Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture — original record ↗

Source collection ↗

Catalog metadata · CC0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

Catalog reference: 2007.3.37

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