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Brown pin-striped suit worn by Sammy Davis Jr.

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object Details

Designed by
Certo's Custom Tailors, American
Worn by
Sammy Davis Jr., American, 1925 - 1990
Description
A brown pin-striped suit jacket (.1) and pants (.2) with tan and blue accents worn by Sammy Davis Jr. The jacket is made from a heavy wool with a design of wide brown and tan marled stripes with thin brown and light blue marled stripes. It has a wide notched lapel and closes at the center front with one (1) brown faux tortoise shell button. One (1) welted pocket is sewn at the proper left breast. There is one (1) pocket with a flap closure at the proper left front waist, and two (2) pockets with flap closures stacked on the proper right front waist, with the top pocket having a smaller opening. The sleeves are cut straight with short slits at each cuff that are sewn closed and one (1) decorative brown faux tortoise shell button sewn over decorative stitching mimicking a button hole. The back of the jacket has one very wide center back vent, reaching almost to the side seams. The jacket is fully lined in tan synthetic fabric. There are two (2) interior breast pockets and one (1) additional pocket on the proper left front interior. A black fabric label with white text reading "CERTO" is sewn below the proper right interior breast pocket. A cream fabric label with brown and cream embroidered text is sewn with a decorative stitch in red thread below the proper left breast pocket that reads "STYLED FOR / SAMMY DAVIS JR."
The pants (.2) are bellbottoms with an angled hemline that is shorter in the front. They are made from the same brown striped wool as the jacket. A crease is ironed down the center front of each leg, then stitched in place at the hem. The pants close at the center front waist with a metal zipper, one (1) round black plastic button over an interior self-fabric tab, and two (2) flat metal hook-and-eyes, with the second hook fastening a long self-fabric tab that extends across the waist band to the proper right side. There are two (2) welt pockets, one at each front side, with diagonal tops sloping downward from the center. There are no back pockets or labels. The pants are lined only at the waistband and pockets with black twill, with a hanger loop at the interior center back waistband made from the twill.
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
1970s
Object number
2015.118.5.1-.2
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Type
suits
jackets
trousers
Medium
.1: wool, synthetic fiber, and plastic buttons;
.2: wool, cotton, and plastic and metal fasteners
Dimensions
H x W x D (.1 flat): 28 3/4 × 25 3/4 × 1 in. (73 × 65.4 × 2.5 cm)
H x W x D (.2 flat): 39 1/2 × 16 3/4 × 1 in. (100.3 × 42.5 × 2.5 cm)
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Clothing - Costume
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Topic
African American
Actors
Clothing and dress
Costume
Costume design
Design
Jazz (Music)
Popular music
Record ID
nmaahc_2015.118.5.1-.2
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd54c7de654-fdf1-4347-bf3f-7664ac34b848

Related Content

  • Music and Fashion

This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Open Access page.
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