Beaded floral sheath dress worn by Dinah Washington

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.

This gold silk floral print sheath dress was worn by Dinah Washington. The dress has a natural waistline with no seam at the bodice. Pleats are sewn in the bodice and front waist to create a fitted silhouette. The gold silk satin is overlaid with cream silk chiffon that is printed in an allover design of mid-sized coral colored flowers. The printed flowers are outlined in gold bugle beads. At the scoop front neckline, V-neck back neckline, and over the shoulders the flowers are cut out so portions of them extend beyond the dress and are backed with the gold silk satin for stabilization. The dress closes at the center back with a cream plastic invisible zipper that extends from the back neckline to below the waist and one (1) hook-and-eye at the top of the zipper.

Explore Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture ↗