This gown was worn by the character "Dorothy Dandridge," portrayed by actress Halle Berry, in the 1999 HBO original television film, "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge." The custom made gown is constructed out of a mauve velvet chiffon material with butterfly and micro dot print. The matching hat has mauve and white plum feathers with two small butterflies. Ms. Berry is seen wearing this outfit during the opening scene of the movie. Dorothy arrives at the Cotton Club for the Academy Awards ceremony where she is the first African American woman nominated for ‘Best Actress’ - entering the theater she has a flashback to her time performing at the same club as part of the trio “The Dandridge Sisters”. The group can be seen wearing these matching ensembles. They perform “Red Wagon” and then run off stage where they bump into the Nicholas brothers.
"Introducing Dorothy Dandridge" is a biopic of the multi-talented African-American singer/dancer/actress Dorothy Dandridge (Berry). It follows her career from the early days on the club circuit to her turn in movies and her death by prescription drug overdose. It chronicles her struggles with the color barrier during 40's Hollywood to becoming the first African-American actress to be nominated for a Best Actress award at the 27th Academy Awards in 1954. "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge" was nominated for 11 Emmy awards, two Golden Globe awards, and a Screen Actors Guild award. Halle Berry won the Best Actress awards category at the Emmy awards, the Golden Globe awards, and the SAG awards.
The gown is in excellent condition and is accompanied by a letter of authenticity from the costume house.
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