Tracee Ellis Ross Told a Hilarious Story About Mom Diana Ross’ Legendary Wardrobe

Tracee Ellis Ross talked one of her favorite items from mom Diana Ross' legendary wardrobe on Naomi Campbell's YouTube series No Filter with Naomi.

  • Tracee Ellis Ross talked mom Diana Ross' legendary wardrobe on Naomi Campbell's YouTube series No Filter with Naomi.
  • Tracee recalled finding one of her mom's most famous ensembles stored in her garage.
  • "I was like, 'Mom! What is—what? Why is this not, like, in a case? This could pay for college!'" Tracee said.

Fashion icons birth fashion icons, as was undoubtedly the case with Diana Ross and daughter Tracee Ellis Ross. But, Tracee recently revealed, her mom occasionally needs reminding of the legendary status of her own wardrobe. Appearing on Naomi Campbell's YouTube series No Filter with Naomi, Tracee told the hilarious story of discovering one of her mom's most iconic outfits—unceremoniously stored in the garage.

"I was out in the garage at one point ,and I came back in the house with this shirt. I was like, 'Mom! What is—what? Why is this not, like, in a case? This could pay for college!'" Tracee went on to clarify exactly which iconic piece she'd discovered: the rhinestoned black shirt Diana wore to perform with Michael Jackson in 1981, both wearing matching shirts and white suits.

"That needs to be in a case," Campbell agreed, to which Tracee responded, "Oh, well it's in my house now." Oh, to have a mom like Diana Ross to borrow clothes from!

Tracee, you'll remember, wore that exact shirt for an iconic appearance of her own, replicating her mom and Jackson's outfit (down to the bedazzled socks) while hosting the 2017 American Music Awards. "OK, does this look familiar to anybody?" Tracee asked the award show audience, as People reports. "Diana Ross and Michael Jackson, twinsie outfits from one of my mother's specials. This was the actual original shirt which I found in the garage, and you ask what was I doing in the garage? I was shopping slash stealing!" I'll say it again: oh, to be able to shop/steal from Diana Ross' closet!

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Emily Dixon
Morning Editor

Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives. She’s also a committed Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Tracee Ellis Ross fan, an enthusiastic but terrible ballet dancer, and a proud Geordie lass.