EMP (Experience Music Project) has a fabulous exhibition on right now that includes dresses worn by the Supremes...check it out. This lover of all things 60's hopes to for sure!
June 11-September 6, 2010
EMP|SFM is proud to present Reflections: The Mary Wilson Supreme Legacy Collection, organized by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Forty-six years after the Supremes first topped the record charts on their way to worldwide fame, many of the distinctive gowns that became nearly as famous will be on display at EMP|SFM, in partnership with original Supreme, Mary Wilson.
The Supremes are the quintessential rags-to-riches story. They rose out of Detroit's housing projects to scale the heights of fame and embodied elegance for an era and beyond. The vestiges of their allure are evidenced here in Mary Wilson's stunning collection of gowns. Reflections: The Mary Wilson Supreme Legacy Collectionfeatures more than 50 Supremes costumes and rare memorabilia.
The collection includes the first gowns purchased by Wilson, Diana Ross and Florence Ballard when they were still known as the Primettes; a set of black velvet Bob Mackie gowns worn on the GIT on Broadway television special in 1969; outfits worn on the Supremes' television specials and featured on album covers; and those from their 1977 Farewell Performance. One set of dresses includes a loose-fitting maternity outfit worn by Wilson while she was pregnant.
Make no mistake, though -- despite the sequins, these are work clothes, in which the Supremes led the charge for Motown's domination of the American music scene. EMP's presentation of the exhibition will incorporate a soundtrack specific to the collection, featuring highlights from the trio's chart-topping hits to rarely heard alternate and live performances. EMP will also screen performances from the Supremes on the Ed Sullivan Show from 1964-1970, appearances that feature gowns included in the exhibit. By doing so, EMP strives to demonstrate the connection between these iconic fashion images with the Supremes' music, their influence on society in a bygone era, and how their style continues to resonate in American culture today.