Casgliadau Arlein

Gold sequinned sleeveless fishtail dress worn by Butetown-born jazz singer, Patti Flynn. Made for her in the late 1970s when she was performing in Torbay (Princess Theatre, Torquay). She had fans from the gay community of the area, and the dress was a gift to her from some of them. They had it designed and made by a New York based dressmaker. She wore it for special occasions and performances until about 2015.

Jazz singer, writer, radio presenter and campaigner (1937-2020). Born Patricia Maude Young in Sophia Street, Cardiff, the youngest child of Wilmott George Young and Beatrice Young (nee Silver). Her father was a merchant seaman from St Moriah, Jamaica. Her mother was from Cardiff and worked for Mr and Mrs Ugarte who had a Spanish restaurant in George Street. The family moved to 40 Pomeroy Street when she was one year old. She later went to Clarence Road Primary School (next door to Curran's Factory). Her father was killed when she was four years old, when his ship was torpedoed during the Second World War. Two of her brothers also lost their lives during the war - Jocelyn Young was aboard a merchant navy boat that was torpedoed in the North Atlantic in 1940, and her older brother Sgt Arthur Young, a wireless operator in the RAF, died when his damaged Lancaster bomber crashed returning from France in 1944. Patti Flynn was a Black History Month Wales Patron and campaigned for 26 years for a memorial to commemorate the sacrifice of black and ethnic minority service personnel. She died on 10 September 2020, aged 83 years.

The dress has shoulder straps and hugs the hips tightly, and fans out towards the hem. It has a long zip fastening at centre back. It is made of two parts (a bodice and a skirt) joined together at the waist. The skirt has a lining of orange synthetic fabric. The low waist is accentuated with an applied band made of pink sequins (which covers the seam between bodice and skirt). These come in different shades, achieved by applying the pink onto substrates of both silver-coloured and clear plastic. The same sequins are used along the upper edge of the bodice, however, in what seems to be a later alteration, the upper edge of the bodice has been folded inwards which means the pink sequins can no longer be seen when worn. Equally, the hem of the dress has been taken up considerably. The upper edge of the bodice has been embellished with a fringe of cut-glass rhinestones.