This costume was worn by the musical star Ruthie Henshall as Roxie in the London revival of the musical Chicago in 1977. Designed by William Ivey Long, it consists of a minute micro dress worn over a leotard. The basic fabric is black lace, but studded with faceted glossy black studs to catch the light on stage and make the costume come alive.
One problem with theatre costumes in a museum context is that their condition varies greatly, unlike fashion clothes, which have usually been worn very little before being cast aside as the next fashion comes along. A theatre costume in good condition indicates that it was not worn very much and so comes from a production that was a failure, while a costume from a popular production may have been worn a great deal and be in very bad condition. Theatre costumes from a hit show are subjected to a great deal of stress - not just from the physical movement of the performers, but also from the excessive sweat, caused from a combination of physical exertion plus the heat of the powerful stage lights; this eventually rots the fabrics and causes colours to fade. The good condition and survival of this costume is partly due to the modern synthetic fabrics, which last longer than natural materials.