Selena's Leather Outfit

Selena's Leather Outfit

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Description (Brief)
About 32,000 Tejano music fans filled the seats of the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on March 14, 1994, to see their favorite regional musicians acknowledged at the 14th Annual Tejano Music Awards. The Queen of Tejano music, Selena Quintanilla-Pérez wore this leather jacket and satin brassiere combo during two performances that evening –singing “Donde Quiera Que Estés” with the Barrio Boyzz and fronting her band Los Dinos singing her iconic hit “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom.”
 
While Tejano music was (and remains) immensely popular with working-class Mexican Americans, Selena took Tejano music to the mainstream. Selena Quintanilla-Pérez and her band, Los Dinos, incorporated cumbia and pop into their sound transforming this regional genre into an international phenomenon.
 
Inspired by other musical divas like Janet Jackson and Madonna, Selena’s sexy outfits broke with the outdated expectations of what female performers in Tejano music should wear. She took the shiny embellishments and form-fitting silhouettes of these pop stars and made it her own with working-class sensibility and a Texan flair.
Selena’s family donated this performance costume to the Smithsonian, and it is the same one in which she is depicted at the Selena Memorial statue in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Description (Spanish)
Desde el doo-wop y el country blues, hasta la polka y el hip-hop, los compositores de música tejana se han visto forzados por la frontera a entender el valor del intercambio cultural. La cantante Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (1971-1995) interpretaba una fusión de cumbia, pop y música tejana contemporánea. La joven estrella surgió y a duras penas llegó a la fama en los mercados de Estados Unidos y Latinoamérica, pero su carrera quedó truncada a la edad de 23 años, cuando fue asesinada por una ex manager a quien había despedido por robar. Selena fue un éxito comercial de un modo jamás imaginable por sus predecesores más tradicionales como el Flaco Jiménez, Freddy Fender o Little Joe. Este traje, integrado por botas de cuero, pantalones ajustados, corsé de raso y chaqueta de motociclista, ejemplifica la idiosincrasia de un estilo que oscilaba entre la rebelde sexy y la niña buena mexicoamericana. Procedente de Lake Jackson, Texas, Selena nació en el seno de una familia de músicos. Como creció hablando inglés, debió aprender a cantar en español por fonética para grabar sus primeros álbumes dirigidos al mercado de habla hispana. Irónicamente, su material crossover para la radio en inglés no salió al aire hasta el final de su carrera, poco después de su trágica muerte. Selena, quien pasó su niñez en medio de la banda de música familiar, actuando en celebraciones de bodas, restaurantes, ferias y otros modestos escenarios a lo largo de la frontera entre México y Estados Unidos, vive aún consagrada en la memoria de la gente como una de las grandes estrellas de la música tejana.
Object Name
jacket
wearer
Selena
maker
North Beach
Place Made
China: Hong Kong
Physical Description
glass (beads material)
leather (overall material)
metal (zippers; buckle; beads material)
Measurements
overall: 25 in x 17 in; 63.5 cm x 43.2501 cm
ID Number
1999.0104.01
accession number
1999.0104
catalog number
1999.0104.01
Credit Line
Gift of The Quintanilla Family
subject
Latino
Costume
Music
See more items in
Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
Popular Entertainment
Music & Musical Instruments
Mexican America
Exhibition
Entertainment Nation
Exhibition Location
National Museum of American History
Data Source
National Museum of American History
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Comments

This is a beautiful and unique outfit. It's one of favorite Selena's designs. She made her style by wearing leather and sparkles on it. I can't wait to go to DC in a few days to see it. The statue in Corpus has this outfit. We "Tejanos " or "Texans " feel very proud to have been represented by such a wonderful person. Forever in our hearts!

Angel

Thu, 2013-07-18 15:09

Selena is a vital part of Chicano history/culture. She definitely deserved a place in the Museum. Thank you for displaying the item.

Jordan

Thu, 2013-07-18 15:09

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