Coat
Designer
Arthur McGee
1980s
Wool and leather
Museum purchase
Object number2024.5.1
Arthur McGee was one of the few Black design leaders working for Seventh Avenue manufacturers during the 1950s. Opening his own boutique – The Store – in 1965, he defined his style as “simple, unadorned ‘clean’ dresses in good fabrics made in ways that mass production would prohibit.” This coat is cut from a blanket McGee bought while visiting South Africa. Although he identified it as “Zulu,” it is likely a Basotho blanket and embodies his innovative use of African fabrics in high-end American fashion.
DescriptionCustom blanket coat in green, orange, brown, beige, black and blue geometric pattern; reversible; black leather trim front pockets; black leather trim at edges; wide funnel neck, button loop neck closureCollections
Exhibitions