Gown worn by Ava Cherry

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.

Red and black beaded gown designed by Tony Chase and worn by Ava Cherry in performances with Luther Vandross. 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.

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