Junior Rasmussen
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis's wedding dress for her marriage to John F. Kennedy in 1953 is one of the most famous bridal gowns of the modern era. The ivory silk-taffeta gown with a portrait neckline and full, bouffant skirt was created by Ann Lowe, a trailblazing Black designer. However, Jackie reportedly did not like the dress, as she wanted a simpler, sleeker design. She later told friends that she disliked the portrait neckline and thought the skirt looked like a lampshade.
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What You'll Learn
- Jackie Kennedy's wedding dress was designed by Ann Lowe
- The dress was an ivory silk-taffeta gown with a portrait neckline
- The gown was ruined in a flood 10 days before the wedding
- Ann Lowe was a Black designer who faced racial discrimination
- Jackie Kennedy did not like the portrait neckline of her dress
Jackie Kennedy's wedding dress was designed by Ann Lowe
Lowe was from a family of dressmakers – her grandmother, Georgia Cole, made clothes for her plantation mistress, and her mother, Jane Lowe, specialised in embroidery. Lowe picked up the family trade after her mother's sudden death in 1914, creating gowns for the First Lady of Alabama at just 16 years old. She later attended the S.T. Taylor Design School in New York and opened her own shop, Ann Lowe's Gowns, in Harlem.
Lowe's talent and skill as a designer were recognised by elite American families, including the Roosevelts, the Rockefellers, and the du Ponts. She also had a long-standing working relationship with the Auchincloss-Bouvier family, designing gowns for Jackie Kennedy's mother, Janet Lee Bouvier, and various other family members. It was Janet Lee Bouvier who commissioned Lowe to design her daughter's wedding gown and bridesmaid dresses.
Despite the beauty and iconic status of the dress, Ann Lowe never received proper credit for her design during her lifetime. When asked about the designer of her wedding gown, Jackie Kennedy reportedly responded, "a coloured dressmaker did it". Lowe's biographer, Julia Faye Smith, revealed that Lowe contacted Jackie to express her disappointment in the comment.
Tragedy struck just before the wedding when a water pipe burst in Lowe's studio, flooding the space and ruining the bride's original gown and bridesmaid dresses. Determined to preserve her reputation and business, Lowe chose not to inform the Kennedy family and instead worked day and night with her team to recreate the dresses in time for the wedding. Lowe absorbed the significant financial cost of the disaster and kept it a secret from the bride and her family.
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The dress was an ivory silk-taffeta gown with a portrait neckline
Jackie Kennedy's wedding dress was an ivory gown made of silk taffeta with a portrait neckline and a bouffant skirt. The skirt was made of almost 50 yards of fabric and was described as "huge" and "like a lampshade". The gown was designed by Ann Lowe, a Black designer who faced racial discrimination while working for some of America's elite families.
The dress was reportedly ruined just days before the wedding when a water pipe burst in Lowe's studio, flooding the space. Despite this setback, Lowe and her team worked tirelessly to recreate the gown in just five days, absorbing the extra cost. This incident was kept secret from the Kennedy family, and Lowe never revealed what happened.
The dress featured a fitted bodice embellished with interwoven bands of tucking and tiny wax flowers. Jacqueline Bouvier's lace veil had belonged to her grandmother and was held in place by clusters of orange blossoms. She carried a bouquet of pink and white spray orchids and gardenias.
While the dress became iconic and inspired bridal fashion for years to come, it is reported that Jackie Kennedy did not like the portrait neckline, feeling it emphasized her small bust. She had allegedly wanted a simpler, sleeker design with firmer lines to complement her tall, slim figure. However, her father-in-law reportedly pushed for the silk taffeta gown she ultimately wore.
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The gown was ruined in a flood 10 days before the wedding
Jackie Kennedy's wedding dress is considered one of the most famous bridal gowns of the modern era. The ivory gown, crafted from 50 yards of silk taffeta, featured a portrait neckline, a pleated bodice, a bouffant skirt, and large rosettes. Designed by Ann Lowe, the dress was embellished with small wax orange blossoms, a trademark of Lowe's designs.
However, this iconic gown was almost not meant to be. A mere 10 days before the wedding, a waterline in Lowe's studio burst, flooding the space and ruining the bride's dress and the bridesmaids' dresses. Despite the disaster, Lowe chose not to inform the Kennedy family. Instead, she purchased new fabric and, with the help of her team, worked day and night to recreate the dresses. The original wedding dress had taken nearly eight weeks to complete, but Lowe managed to remake it in just five days.
Lowe, a trailblazing African American designer, faced constant racial discrimination while working for America's elite families. She kept the disaster a secret and absorbed the costs, which amounted to thousands of pounds in losses. Despite this, she and Jackie Kennedy went on to develop a close working relationship.
The wedding of Jacqueline Bouvier and Senator John Fitzgerald Kennedy took place on September 12, 1953, at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Newport, Rhode Island. The bride's gown, along with her grandmother's heirloom lace veil, created a wedding look that has been etched in sartorial history.
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Ann Lowe was a Black designer who faced racial discrimination
Jackie Kennedy's wedding dress, an ivory silk taffeta gown with a portrait neckline and a bouffant skirt, was designed by Ann Lowe, a Black designer. Lowe was a trailblazing designer who faced racial discrimination while working for some of America's most elite families.
Lowe came from a family of dressmakers. Her grandmother, Georgia Cole, was a formerly enslaved seamstress who made clothes for her plantation mistress before being freed in 1860. Lowe's mother, Jane Lowe, was an embroiderer. The three generations of women later started their own dress company in Montgomery, Alabama. Lowe began designing dresses at a young age, and by the time she was 16, her needlework was impeccable. She was accepted to New York's S.T. Taylor Design School as one of the first Black students. Despite facing racial segregation at the school, she graduated and went on to establish her own shop, Ann Lowe's Gowns, in Harlem.
Lowe's talent was recognized by elite society members, and she became a sought-after designer for wealthy families, including the Rockefellers, du Ponts, and Roosevelts. However, she faced constant racial discrimination throughout her career. She was not publicly acknowledged for designing Jackie Kennedy's wedding dress during her lifetime. When asked about the designer, Jackie reportedly responded, "a colored dressmaker did it." Lowe also faced financial challenges, often struggling to make a profit due to her lack of business acumen. Despite these obstacles, she persevered and became one of America's most significant designers, paving the way for future Black designers in the fashion industry.
In the lead-up to the Kennedy wedding, Lowe's studio flooded, ruining the bride's dress and bridesmaids' dresses. Rather than informing the Kennedy family, Lowe chose to remake the dresses at her own expense, absorbing the cost. This incident demonstrates Lowe's dedication to her craft and her clients, further highlighting her talent and perseverance in the face of adversity.
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Jackie Kennedy did not like the portrait neckline of her dress
Jackie Kennedy's wedding dress, worn on September 12, 1953, when she married John F. Kennedy, is considered one of the most famous bridal gowns of the modern era. The dress was an ivory silk taffeta gown with a portrait neckline and a bouffant skirt. The gown was designed by Ann Lowe, a Black designer who had also created dresses for Jackie's mother, Janet Lee Bouvier.
However, it is important to note that Jackie Kennedy reportedly did not like the portrait neckline of her wedding dress. According to sources, she felt that it emphasised her small bust. In private conversations with friends, she expressed her preference for a simpler and sleeker design with firmer lines to complement her tall and slim figure. She is quoted as saying that the skirt of the dress looked "like a lampshade".
The portrait neckline and full skirt of the gown, made with almost 50 yards of fabric, created a silhouette that was considered very traditional. The skirt featured interwoven tucking bands and tiny wax flowers, adding a playful touch to the overall design. While the dress became iconic and inspired bridal fashion for years to come, it is interesting to consider Kennedy's personal perspective on the design elements, specifically her dislike for the portrait neckline.
It is worth mentioning that Kennedy did not have a say in the design of her wedding dress. Her father-in-law allegedly disregarded her wishes for a simpler style, favouring the silk taffeta gown she ultimately wore. This discrepancy between Kennedy's personal taste and the chosen design adds an intriguing layer to the story behind her iconic wedding look.
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Frequently asked questions
No, she did not. Jackie Kennedy, then known as Jacqueline Bouvier, reportedly wanted a "simpler, sleeker design" for her wedding dress. However, her father-in-law dismissed her wishes, pushing for the silk-taffeta gown she ultimately wore. She later told friends that she disliked the portrait neckline because it emphasized her small bust and thought the skirt looked "like a lampshade".
The dress was designed by Ann Lowe, a Black designer who was not credited for her work during her lifetime. Jackie Kennedy initially kept her dressmaker's name anonymous and later referred to her as a "colored dressmaker" or "colored woman".
It is speculated that Jackie Kennedy did not publicly name Ann Lowe as her dressmaker because of the racial discrimination faced by Black designers at the time. When Lowe's Lexington Avenue workshop flooded 10 days before the wedding, ruining the bride's gown and nine of the bridal party's dresses, Lowe chose not to inform the Kennedy family and instead remade all the dresses within five days.
No, she did not. For her second wedding to Aristotle Onassis in 1968, Jackie Kennedy wore a two-piece ensemble from Valentino.
