Red suit worn by Oprah Winfrey during the car giveaway on The Oprah Winfrey Show

Object Details

Designed by

Céline, French, founded 1945

Worn by

Oprah Winfrey, American, born 1954

Subject of

Harpo, Inc., American, founded 1986

Description

This red suit, consisting of a jacket (.1) and skirt (.2), was designed by Céline and worn by Oprah Winfrey on an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show that aired in September 2004. The suit is made from a red wool and nylon blend boucle fabric. The fitted jacket has a shawl collar with an open neckline and closes proper right side over left side at the center front with two (2) large round brown tortoise-shell plastic buttons with the text "CELINE" etched on them and two (2) smaller buttons of the same design. The two (2) smaller buttons cannot be seen from the facing side. Two (2) additional decorative large round buttons of the same design are sewn on the proper right side corresponding to the placement of the functioning buttons on the proper left side. The 3/4-length sleeves are cut straight and do not have cuffs. The back of the jacket has seaming and pleating for a form-fitting silhouette, though the waistband around the front and back has a slight flare. The interior of the jacket is not lined. There are two (2) red transparent plastic buttons on the interior proper left front side that are backing the large tortoiseshell buttons on the facing side for stabilization. The large buttons on the proper right side are stabilized by the smaller tortoiseshell buttons. Three (3) labels are sewn at the interior center back neck. The top label is white fabric with gray embroidered text reading "FINITION MAIN." The middle label is sewn to the bottom edge of the top label and is white fabric with gray embroidered text reading "CELINE". The bottom label is sewn to the bottom edge of the middle label and is white paper with black preprinted text and handwritten black ink text with style, size, fiber content, and care information.

The pencil skirt (.2) falls just below the knee and has an 8-inch slit at the center back. The skirt closes at the center back waist with one (1) metal hook-and-eye and a red metal invisible zipper. The skirt is not lined. There are three (3) labels sewn at the interior back to the proper left of the zipper. The top label is white fabric with gray embroidered text reading "CELINE". The next label has sizing information. Sewn to the bottom of the top label and behind the size label is a white paper label with black preprinted text and handwritten black ink text with style, size, fiber content, and care information.

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Oprah Winfrey

2004

Object number

2016.7.3.1-2

Restrictions & Rights

No Known Copyright Restrictions

Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.

Type

jackets

skirts

Medium

.1: wool and nylon blend cloth with plastic buttons;

.2: wool and nylon blend cloth with metal fasteners

Dimensions

H x W x D ((.1-.2) on form): 39 1/4 × 23 × 11 1/2 in. (99.7 × 58.4 × 29.2 cm)

H x W x D ((.1) on form): 22 1/2 × 23 × 11 1/2 in. (57.2 × 58.4 × 29.2 cm)

H x W x D ((.2) on form): 24 3/4 × 14 1/2 × 10 1/2 in. (62.9 × 36.8 × 26.7 cm)

Place used

Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America

See more items in

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Classification

Clothing - Costume

Exhibition

A Changing America: 1968 and Beyond

On View

NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 1, C1 053

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Topic

African American

Actors

Clothing and dress

Communication

Costume

Design

Entertainers

Fashion

Fashion design

Mass media

Television

Record ID

nmaahc_2016.7.3.1-2

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5b300e588-ba75-4da8-8b51-a885b288a43e