2006.35.1

Faded blue denim jacket, embroidered, decorated with sequins and beads and appliques. The jacket was embroidered and decorated by Gayle Bigler, who was 18 years old at the time. One the front yoke she emboidered a leprechaun smoking a joint, under him is embroidered "Panama Red" (a type of marijuana); on the other side she embroidered several colorful mushrooms. The seams have been bleached white. The front seam just under the yoke is decorated with red sequin hearts, centered with beads. The vertical seams of the jacket are decorated with sequin stars, also centered with a bead. (Outside stars are metallic gold, inside are green in the front; in the back every other star is green/metallic gold.) A rail fence is embroidered just above the cuff of each sleeve while large flowering sequined plants grow up the sleeves. An American flag applique is centered just below the yoke in the back. Free form embroidery and sequins, along with a large flower, decorate the back. Gayle's initials, done in shocking pink and green sequins, are just below the collar in the back. At the waist band in the back is appliqued a patch for "Ron's Bug House, San Bernardino, Calif."

Gayle gave the jacket to Mark Sullivan, who was a high school friend in Twentynine Palms. He was an aspiring Rock musician. He wore it in California and it has been in his care until it was given to the Oakland Museum of California. The jacket was featured in an article in the October 1974 issue of "New Ingenue" magazine, in an article on the winners and runners up of the Coats and Clark Decorate Your Denims Contest. As a runner up Gale received a Ross clock radio, plus having her jacket pictured in color in the magazine.

Used: Mark Sullivan | Gayle Bigler | Coats and Clark Decorate Your Denims Contest