Debutante of the Year - 1947

Do you recognize her?  It's Jacqueline Bouvier wearing a $59 off-the-rack dress in 1947.  In 6 years she would be the wife of Senator John F. Kennedy and in another 7 she would be First Lady.  Do you think she had any idea of what was to come behind that smile?

Jacqueline Kennedy Marries Aristotle Onassis in Valentino - 1968

For his Spring-Summer 1968 couture line (the famous White Collection), Valentino designed this two piece outfit, here modeled by Marisa Berenson. The pale beige lace bodice floated over a pleated skirt.

This was the dress that Jacqueline Kennedy chose to wear for her wedding to Aristotle Onassis in October of 1968. The style was an immediate worldwide hit, and was copied by many dress manufacturers.

Jackie is said to have married Onassis for protection, as she feared the Kennedy family was being targeted after the assassination of her brother-in-law Robert Kennedy earlier that year. Onassis was a wealthy and powerful man, exactly what she needed. Her marriage would also accomplish her goal of taking her and her children out of the US.

The marriage brought Jackie adverse publicity in America, and it also caused her to break with the Catholic Church, as Onassis was a divorced man. It soon seemed that this was a marriage of convenience, as the couple rarely spent time together. Jackie spent most of her days traveling and shopping. It was rumored that she spent about $1,000,000 per year on clothes.

Jackie continued to be a style icon and fashion trendsetter despite the adverse publicity her marriage to Onassis caused. Much to her dismay, the paparazzi followed her everywhere. Here, Jackie wears an Emilio Pucci cotton mini dress to celebrate her 40th birthday in 1969.

Jacqueline Kennedy and Her Hats

It is ironic that Jacqueline Kennedy is so well known for her hats, when she really did not like to wear them. As a politician's wife, though, she had to bow to convention and wear a hat at times when not doing so would have been seen as disrespectful.

During her time as First Lady, Jackie turned to Bergdorf Goodman for all her millinery. Halston was the custom milliner at Bergdorf's at this time, and he would make copies of Paris models and also create custom designs for her.

Jackie preferred hat styles that would not crush her hair nor obscure her face, so as to be visible to the public. This is why you most often see her hats worn tilted to the back of her head.

October 19, 1960 - Three weeks before the election, the Kennedys are honored during a ticker- tape parade in New York City. Jackie wears a wide cut coat and pillbox hat by Givenchy.

May 31, 1961 - Jackie dons a yellow natural straw hat by Halston that matches a favorite yellow silk suit for luncheon at the Élysée Palace in France.

June 30, 1962 - Jackie wears a pink parabuntal straw hat designed to match her pink silk shantung sleeveless suit by Oleg Cassini, which was perfect for the summer heat in Mexico. Here Jackie gives a speech in Spanish at a luncheon with Mexico's President Adolfo López Mateos.

March 27, 1963 - Jackie wears a navy lacquered straw brimmed hat during a welcoming ceremony for King Hassan II of Morocco at Union Station, Washington, DC.

May 8, 1962 - Jackie wears a chartreuse silk shantung brimmed Breton hat for the launch of the nuclear submarine USS Lafayette.

April 11, 1962 - Jackie wears a natural straw brimmed Breton hat with a simple navy suit during a welcoming ceremony for the Shah of Iran and his wife. The bag? Christian Dior.

I hope you've enjoyed this week of exploring the fashion of Jacqueline Kennedy as much as I have. Of course, there is far more than what I've shown here, so I'll definitely come back to her sometime in the future.

All photos from "Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years".

Jacqueline Kennedy Evening Gowns

One of Jacqueline Kennedy's important jobs at the White House was serving as hostess for State dinners and attending formal events. Her new role as America's fashion icon required distincive and memorable evening gowns. She often achieved traditional splendor in a modern simple way. Here are just a few of her choices.

On November 13, 1961, at a State dinner honoring Puerto Rico's Governor and his wife, President Kennedy invited Spanish cellist Pablo Cassals to perform at the White House.
Jackie wore a 3 piece evening ensemble in chartreuse silk faille by Oleg Cassini. Consisting of a beaded top, long skirt, and short jacket, Jackie once again stood out from the crowd with her choice of a vibrant color.

On April 29, 1962, the Kennedys entertained 39 Nobel laureates, including Pearl Buck, Robert Frost, and other distinguished guests, among them astronaut John Glenn. Actor Fredric March read from the writings of American Nobel prize winners.

Jackie had just returned from a vacation in Palm Beach and was deeply tanned. She was luminous in green draped silk jersey by Oleg Cassini.

On May 11, 1962 at a State dinner honoring Andre Malraux, France's minister of culture, Jackie wore a strapless pink silk dupioni gown by Guy Douvier for Christian Dior New York. The dress had a draped panel at the back which was attached with a bow at the left side. Jackie worn a large jeweled brooch in her hair and carried a gold mesh evening bag.

On September 6, 1962, the President and First Lady attended a benefit performance of Mr President for the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation.

In February 1962, King Saud of Saudi Arabia had presented a length of magnificent silk brocade to the First Lady. She had the fabric made into this evening gown by A La Carte, a fashionable Manhattan boutique. Designer Joan Morse was noted for her designs using fabrics collected on her world travels. In the photo from the benefit, the dress has a green velvet bodice. Jackie later had the bodice replaced with pink silk organza for summer wear. A capelet made from the brocade tops off the outfit.

Jacqueline Kennedy Inaugural Ball Gown

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.

Jacqueline Kennedy Inauguration Fashion

One single picture describes for me the elegant simplicity of Jacqueline Kennedy's style that would come to influence fashion all over the world. Look how she stands out from all the women around her in their dark colors.


48 years ago today, John F. Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th President of the U.S. Following a major blizzard the night before, thousands of workers toiled to clear the streets of Washington, D.C. for the inaugural parade. The temperatures were bitterly cold at 22°F with wind chills making it feel like 7°F.

Jackie wore a taupe wool dress with matching coat designed by Oleg Cassini. Every element of her outfit was carefully considered. The coat had a small sable fur collar, and a matching sable fur muff was chosen to help keep the First Lady's hands warm during the ceremony. She wore the muff over long kidskin gloves.

Jackie started the day with simple black pumps, but later added fur trimmed boots for the walk in the snow.

And then, there's the hat. Jackie had been forced by her public role into wearing hats, as called for by formal protocol. The high domed pillbox style had been shown by Givenchy, Dior, and Balenciaga in their recent collections. At the time, Halston (yes, that Halston) was the custom milliner at Bergdorf Goodman, and he designed the seamless wool felt hat Jackie wore for the inauguration. She made fashion history, however, by choosing to wear the hat tipped to the back of her head rather than straight on top.

Tomorrow, I'll look at the dress Jackie wore to the Inauguration Ball. And at noon today, I'll be glued to my television watching history in the making with a new inauguration.
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Another Jackie Picture

Here's another photo of Jackie leaving for the Pre-inauguration Gala. Here we can see her ivory silk shoes with pointed toes, and a glimpse of her slip. Keep that dress out of the snow!

Jacqueline Kennedy Pre-Inauguration Fashion

48 years ago today, on January 19, 1961, John and Jacqueline Kennedy attended the Pre-Inauguration Gala at the National Guard Armory in Washington, DC. The city was in the middle of a raging blizzard and Jacqueline Kennedy was not feeling well, but she knew that this important event would set the tone for her image as First Lady.

Jackie considered white to be the most ceremonial color, and she chose to wear this color for both the Gala and for the Inauguration Ball the following evening. The gown she wore to the gala was designed by Oleg Cassini in ivory double-faced silk satin twill. The rich fabric set off the simple lines of the gown to magnificent effect. The ribbon cockade at the waist pointed to Jacqueline's French Bouvier ancestry, as well as her love of history.

Kenneth Battelle, otherwise known as Mr. Kenneth, was flown in from New York to create a hairstyle that would harmonize with Jackie's gown. She also wore simple jewelry, elbow length gloves and carried a small evening clutch.

Hundreds of people braved the blizzard to try and catch a glimpse of the First Couple as their limosine crept along at 10 mph. Kennedy asked the driver to turn on the lights inside the car, so the people could see Jackie as they drove by.

Tomorrow, I'll share with you the fashions Jackie wore on Inauguration Day, 1961.

Weekend Eye Candy - Jackie Kennedy

Since this week has been so focused on the election, I thought a few photos of the Kennedys out on the campaign trail in 1959 might be fun. The photo above shows the Kennedys with then Vice President Richard Nixon.

Here, they share a cup of coffee at a diner in Oregon. Same dress, different accessories.

The dress? A grey wool knit overblouse dress by Givenchy Boutique Fall 1959. This is one of the styles that Jackie made so popular in America. The dress has a thin silk bodice, which doesn't add bulk under the overblouse, that likely buttons up the back.