Danielle Colby Striptease Historian | The Queen of Rust

Lorraine red and black set

Added 2022-02-12 15:02:25 +0000 UTC

I never understood how important this specific set would be when I came across Lorraine Gail Smith ‘s 1975 collection of stage worn garments. In fact, I didn’t really pay much attention to this set at all because I was blinded by the sparkly gemstones, beads and glass mirrors on the rest of the costumes in the collection.

The day that I first laid my eyes upon the book “A kind of life, conversations in the combat zone.” By Roswell Angier it changed everything. In that moment that I opened that book I realized that this was in fact the exact costume that Lorraine Gail Smith wore The night before she was brutally attacked, left in critical condition for two weeks and eventually passed away.

As we are working on this project it becomes more impactful every time I research or touch this costume. The emotional weight of it but also her incredible connection to this costume. Not only did she make it with her own two hands but, It’s obvious that she wore it on stage quite often as it’s one of the costumes from her collection that has obvious regular wear marks.

Currently this costume is in Michigan being documented for the film and print project that we are working on in regards to Lorraine Gail Smith.

It feels so strange to have all of her costumes out of my hands all at once. I really want to have them back at home, together, safe, under my watchful eye. But I also have to realize that this project requires me to part with them for a while, and that’s ok too.