Deborah Chan
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' wedding dress is one of the most famous bridal gowns of the modern era. The dress was designed by Ann Lowe, a sought-after designer for elite East Coast families. Lowe's atelier flooded two weeks before the wedding, and the dress was destroyed. Lowe, however, managed to recreate the dress in just 10 days. The dress was made of ivory silk taffeta with a portrait neckline and a bouffant skirt. Jackie Kennedy's wedding dress is considered a big fashion moment for women, and she became a style icon of the '60s and '70s.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Wedding date | 12 September 1953 |
| Wedding location | St. Mary's Church, Newport, Rhode Island |
| Wedding dress designer | Ann Lowe |
| Wedding dress style | Ivory, silk taffeta gown with a portrait neckline and bouffant skirt |
| Wedding dress accessories | A tiara, a rosepoint lace veil, a pearl choker, and a diamond bracelet |
| Wedding dress flowers | Pink and white spray orchids and gardenias |
| Wedding dress reconstruction | Recreated in 10 days after the original was destroyed in a flood |
| Wedding dress cost | $2,200 loss for the designer due to the flood |
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What You'll Learn
Jackie Kennedy's wedding dress designer was Ann Lowe
Lowe had previously designed dresses for Jackie's mother, Janet Lee Bouvier, who commissioned her to create her daughter's wedding gown and bridesmaid dresses. Jackie's dress was an ivory silk taffeta gown with a portrait neckline and a bouffant skirt made of almost 50 yards of fabric. The silhouette of the dress was traditional, but it featured playful embellishments, including large rosettes and wax flowers.
Just ten days before the wedding, Lowe's studio flooded, and the bride's dress and bridesmaids' dresses were ruined. Lowe chose not to inform the Kennedy family and instead purchased new fabric to remake the dresses. She and her team worked day and night to recreate the gown in time for the wedding. Lowe never revealed the disaster to the bride or her family and absorbed the financial loss, which amounted to thousands of pounds.
Despite creating one of the most iconic bridal looks of all time, Lowe was not originally credited for her design. When asked about the designer in the press, Jackie reportedly responded, "a colored dressmaker did it." Lowe later contacted Jackie to express her disappointment in the comment.
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The dress was almost ruined before the wedding
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, formerly known as Jacqueline Lee Bouvier, wore an ivory silk taffeta gown with a portrait neckline and a bouffant skirt to marry John F. Kennedy in 1953. The dress was designed by Ann Lowe, a sought-after African American designer who had previously dressed some of the most elite American families, including the Roosevelts and the Rockefellers. Lowe had also designed a dress for the bride's mother, Janet Lee Bouvier, who commissioned her to design her daughter's wedding gown.
The wedding dress almost didn't make it to the big day. Just two weeks before the ceremony, and after two months of hard work, Lowe's atelier flooded. Jackie's wedding dress was destroyed, along with the bridesmaids' dresses. Despite the setback, Lowe chose not to inform the Kennedy family. Instead, she purchased new fabric and assembled an emergency team of seamstresses to recreate the collection in just ten days.
Lowe's team worked day and night to complete the gown in time. The designer absorbed the additional costs, ultimately losing $2,200 on the project. The dress was crafted in a traditional silhouette per the Kennedy family's wishes, though Jacqueline had wanted a simpler design. Despite her personal preference, Jackie's wedding dress became a well-known bridal look, and it remains one of the most famous bridal gowns of the modern era.
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Jackie Kennedy's wedding dress was made by a Black designer
Jackie Kennedy's wedding dress was designed by Ann Lowe, a Black designer who was a sought-after dressmaker to elite East Coast families, including the Roosevelts, the Rockefellers, and the Du Ponts. Lowe came 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 most of the work at the family business at the age of 16, after her mother's sudden death in 1914. She went on to attend New York's S.T. Taylor Design School and later opened her own shop, Ann Lowe’s Gowns, in Harlem.
Lowe was commissioned to create Jackie Kennedy’s wedding dress and all of the bridal party dresses for her wedding to John F. Kennedy. She had previously designed other dresses and gowns for Jackie and various members of the Auchincloss-Bouvier family. According to Julia Faye Smith, the author of Lowe's biography, *Something to Prove*, Lowe liked to please her clients, and Jackie probably had some say in the design of her gown. However, it was JFK's father, Joseph Kennedy, who had final approval over the design, overruling Jackie's preference for a simpler, sleeker design.
Lowe's atelier flooded just ten days before the wedding, destroying Jackie's wedding gown and nine of the bridesmaid dresses. Unbeknownst to the Kennedy family, Lowe and her team worked day and night to recreate the collection in time. She absorbed the cost, which left her with a significant financial loss on the project. Lowe never revealed the disaster to the bride or her family, and her close working relationship with Jackie Kennedy continued for many years.
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The dress was considered simple and traditional
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, née Bouvier, wore an ivory silk taffeta gown with a portrait neckline and a bouffant skirt to marry John F. Kennedy on September 12, 1953. The dress was designed by Ann Lowe, a sought-after African American designer who created bespoke gowns for elite East Coast families, including the Roosevelts and the Rockefellers.
Lowe worked with Jacqueline to incorporate her "something borrowed" into the design. The bride paired the gown with a tiara and a rosepoint lace veil that belonged to her grandmother, Margaret Lee. She also carried a bouquet of pink and white spray orchids and gardenias, completing her classic bridal look.
The dress was almost ruined just two weeks before the wedding when Lowe's atelier flooded. However, Lowe managed to recreate the dress in just 10 days, absorbing the financial loss herself. The dress has since become a well-known bridal look, and Lowe is finally receiving the credit she deserves for her iconic design.
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The dress was considered one of the most famous bridal gowns of the modern era
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' wedding dress is considered one of the most famous bridal gowns of the modern era. The dress was designed by Ann Lowe, a sought-after African American designer who dressed some of the most elite American families, including the Roosevelts and the Rockefellers. Lowe also designed the wedding dress of Kennedy Onassis' mother, Janet Auchincloss.
The gown was made of ivory silk taffeta with a portrait neckline and a full, bouffant skirt. It featured large rosettes and wax flowers, as well as a swath of fabric that fell gracefully to the floor. The dress was considered a classic and timeless design, and it quickly became a well-known bridal look. It was also a significant departure from the more dramatic and ornate styles of the time.
The story behind the creation of the dress adds to its fame and allure. Just two weeks before the wedding, Lowe's atelier flooded, and the original dress was destroyed. Despite this setback, Lowe recreated the dress in just 10 days, working tirelessly to ensure that the bride had a perfect gown for her big day.
The dress has been featured in numerous publications and exhibitions, including the Kennedy Library, and it continues to inspire and influence bridal fashion even today. It has also been credited with establishing Kennedy Onassis as a fashion icon and influencing her signature style of pillbox hats and tailored separates.
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Frequently asked questions
Ann Lowe, a sought-after African American designer, created the dress. Lowe and her team had to recreate the dress in 10 days after her studio flooded, ruining the original.
The dress was an ivory silk taffeta gown with a portrait neckline, a bouffant skirt, and rosettes and wax flowers as embellishments.
She wore a pearl choker, a diamond bracelet given to her by her husband-to-be, a diamond pin from her parents, and a tiara and veil that were originally worn by her grandmother.
Jackie Kennedy reportedly wanted a simple, low-key dress, inspired by a recent trip to Paris. However, her future father-in-law, Joseph Kennedy, overruled her idea and had final approval on the design.
