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

Judy Dearing, American, 1940 - 1995 · 1976-1978

Sleeveless dress costume worn by Trezana Beverley for the character Lady in Red 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 red 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 red satin, 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 black thread. The dress closes at the center back with a metal zipper, with two (2) small metal hook-and-eye fasteners, one at the top of the back and the second at the waist. There is a length of black grosgrain ribbon sewn to the interior proper right waist with a large metal eye on the end, which closes with a large metal hook sewn to the interior proper left waist just inside the zipper. The bodice is lined with red synthetic satin, while the skirt is not lined.