Jacqueline Kennedy actually designed her inaugural ballgown, working in tandem with Diana Vreeland and Ethel Frankau, fashion director of Bergdorf Goodman. Jackie had sent two magazine pictures to Vreeland of dresses by Victor Stiebel and Dior, which were adapted to the final design. Emeric Partos, Bergdorf's fur designer brought all the ideas together into the gown you see above.
The gown was fashioned of off-white faille with a strapless bodice embroidered with beads and silver thread. Jackie chose to downplay the beading with a silk chiffon blouson overblouse. She wore full length kidskin gloves and carried a matching clutch.
Kennedy had considered wearing a short fur jacket, but at the last minute she decided on a full length cape instead. Bergdorf's did not have enough of the skirt fabric to make the cape, and they could not find a fabric that was an exact color match. The solution was to use a matte faille and add an overlayer of chiffon georgette to create a shimmering effect. The buttons at the closure were embroidered with silver thread.Tomorrow, I'll continue this series with a look at some of the evening gowns worn by Jackie during her time as First Lady.
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