A Moss Mabry costume design for Cyd Charisse

A Moss Mabry costume design for Cyd Charisse
Pencil, gouache, and watercolor on paper laid on board, costume design for Cyd Charisse as Sarita in The Silencers (Columbia, 1966), depicting a sheer body suit with tassel embellishments and green floor length cape, signed 'Moss Mabry' in pencil (lower center) and inscribed 'To Elliot — Best to you — Always Cyd Charisse' (upper left). 15 1/2 x 11 1/2 in.

Cyd Charisse began her career in the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and graduated to lavish M.G.M. musicals during the late 1940s and 1950s in which she played both virtuous young ladies and vamps. However, her sensuality is never more evident than in The Silencers, with its risque full-body nude illusion costumes and seductive gowns.ProvenanceThe Estate of Robert Street