George Boyle
Jackie Kennedy's wedding dress has been in the news recently, with the dress she wore to marry Aristotle Onassis in 1968 being sold at auction. The Valentino two-piece was purchased by Jackie for her second wedding, and it sold for $24,320, triple its pre-sale estimate. Jackie's first wedding dress, worn for her marriage to John F. Kennedy in 1953, was designed by Ann Lowe and made of ivory silk taffeta. This dress was almost not ready for the wedding, as a flood in Lowe's studio destroyed the original, but it was remade in just 10 days.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Designer | Ann Lowe |
| Fabric | Ivory silk taffeta |
| Details | Portrait neckline, bouffant skirt, rosettes, wax flowers |
| Jewelry | Single-strand pearl necklace, diamond pin, diamond bracelet |
| Location | John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum |
| Displayed | Last displayed in 2003 for their 50th wedding anniversary |
| Replicas | Paper replica, ivory gown replica for "Ann Lowe: American Couturier" exhibit |
| Second Wedding Dress | Sold at auction for $24,320, gifted by Jackie to a couple who worked on her husband's yacht |
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What You'll Learn
Jackie Kennedy's wedding dress designer
Lowe opened her first dress salon in Tampa, Florida, in 1920. She later returned to New York City, where she opened her second salon, Ann Lowe's Gowns, in 1950. Her one-of-a-kind designs and use of fine fabrics attracted many wealthy, high-society clients, including the future first lady, Jackie Kennedy.
Lowe designed Kennedy's wedding dress for her marriage to John F. Kennedy in 1953. The dress was made of 50 yards of ivory silk taffeta with a fitted bodice, portrait neckline, and a bouffant skirt with wax flowers. The gown was inspired by the "New Look" silhouette of Christian Dior and featured an ample skirt that required the "trapunto" sewing technique to create a layered effect through ruffles and concentric circles.
Lowe also designed the bridesmaids' dresses for the Kennedy wedding, adorning the women with 10 handmade pink taffeta dresses. However, just 10 days before the wedding, a flood in Lowe's workshop destroyed the bride's gown and several of the bridal party's dresses. Lowe and her team worked tirelessly to recreate the dresses, ensuring they were delivered on time. Despite this impressive feat, Lowe lost $2,200 on the project and never revealed the incident to the Kennedy family.
Although Lowe's design for Jackie Kennedy's wedding dress gained worldwide acclaim, she did not receive public credit for her work until after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Today, the original dress is part of the permanent collection at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston.
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The gown's traditional design
The wedding dress of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, formerly Jacqueline Lee Bouvier, is considered one of the most iconic and influential bridal ensembles in history. The dress was designed by Ann Lowe, a trailblazing Black designer who had previously worked with elite American families such as the Roosevelts and the Rockefellers. The gown was made of ivory silk taffeta with a portrait neckline, a bouffant skirt, and embellished flowers. The silhouette of the dress was very traditional, particularly the skirt, per the wishes of the Kennedy family. However, the embellishments were more playful and included large rosettes and wax flowers. Jacqueline reportedly wanted a simpler dress with firm lines to complement her tall, slim figure, and she was not a fan of the portrait neckline, feeling it emphasised her small bust.
The gown has since become a well-known bridal look, although Lowe was not originally credited for her design. In fact, when asked about the designer of her wedding gown, Jackie reportedly responded, "a coloured dressmaker did it." This disappointed Lowe, who contacted Jackie to express her feelings. Jackie's secretary explained that Jackie had not seen the final text before publication and did not know how Ann would be referred to in the article. Despite this, Lowe felt no animosity towards the Kennedys.
The dress is now part of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum's permanent collection. It was last displayed in 2003 for the couple's 50th wedding anniversary and has since become too fragile to showcase. The dress has been recreated on several occasions for exhibits, including a paper replica donated by Marshall Field's Department Store in 2013 and a replica for the "Ann Lowe: American Couturier" exhibit at the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library in 2023.
Jackie Kennedy's second wedding dress, worn for her marriage to Aristotle Onassis in 1968, was also notable. The two-piece Valentino ensemble sold for $24,320 at a Bonhams auction in 2024, triple its pre-sale estimate.
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The dress's near-disaster
Jacqueline Kennedy's wedding dress, an ivory silk taffeta gown with a portrait neckline and a bouffant skirt, is considered one of her most iconic looks. The dress was designed by Ann Lowe, a trailblazing Black designer who had previously worked with elite American families such as the Roosevelts and the Rockefellers.
However, the road to the iconic wedding dress was not without its challenges. Just ten days before the wedding, a pipe burst in Lowe's Lexington Avenue studio, flooding the space and ruining the bride's gown and nine of the bridesmaid dresses. Despite this setback, Lowe and her staff worked tirelessly to reconstruct the gowns, ensuring they were delivered on time. The original dress had taken nearly eight weeks to complete, but Lowe was able to remake it within just five days with the help of her team.
The flood was not the only challenge Jackie faced in the lead-up to her wedding. There was also interference from her father-in-law, Joseph Kennedy, who had the final say on her bridal look and overruled her preference for a simple, low-key gown. Despite these hurdles, Jackie's wedding dress became a well-known bridal look and is still considered one of her most iconic fashion moments.
Today, the gown is considered too fragile to be displayed or removed from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, where it is part of the permanent collection. However, replicas of the dress have been created for various exhibits, including one in 2023 for the exhibit "Ann Lowe: American Couturier" at the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library.
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The dress on exhibition
Jackie Kennedy's wedding dress is part of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum's permanent collection. The dress was last displayed in 2003 to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of the pair. Since then, the original gown has become too fragile to showcase and doesn't leave the museum. However, the iconic dress has been recreated on several occasions for exhibits.
In 2013, Marshall Field's Department Store donated a paper replica to the museum and put it on display to honour Jackie and JFK's 60th wedding anniversary. The dress was also replicated in 2023 for the exhibit "Ann Lowe: American Couturier" at the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library.
The dress Jackie Kennedy wore to her second wedding to Aristotle Onassis in 1968 was also exhibited at auction before being sold. The dress, a Valentino high-neck lace top and pleated skirt, was sold at Bonhams as part of their "'Classic Luxury: Style Icons" online sale. The auction also included clothing items worn by Jackie's son, John F. Kennedy Jr.
The Kennedy family chose not to credit Ann Lowe for her design of Jackie's first wedding dress, and the designer was not originally recognised for her work. Lowe was a prolific designer with high-profile clients, including the Roosevelts and the Rockefellers, and had previously designed dresses for Jackie's mother. However, Jackie reportedly referred to Lowe as a "coloured dressmaker" in the press, a comment that deeply disappointed the designer.
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Jackie O's second wedding dress
On 20 October 1968, five years after her first husband's assassination, Jackie Kennedy married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. The wedding was an intimate affair on Onassis' private Greek island, Skorpios.
For her second wedding, Jackie Kennedy chose a groundbreaking Valentino dress. The dress was a two-piece, high-neck lace top and pleated skirt from the designer's spring 1968 collection. The dress was short and knee-length, and Jackie wore a bow in her hair instead of a veil. The dress was purchased during a private showing of Valentino's haute couture collection.
The dress was a significant departure from the Ann Lowe silk-taffeta gown she wore for her first wedding to John F Kennedy. For her second wedding, Jackie Kennedy was allowed to make her own decision about what to wear, and she chose a more relaxed and unconventional option. The dress has been described as having a simple yet modern aesthetic.
The dress was sold at auction in September 2024 for $24,320, triple its pre-sale estimate. It was sold by a couple who were close friends of Jackie and Aristotle and had worked on Onassis' yacht, the Christina O.
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Frequently asked questions
Jackie Kennedy's first wedding dress was designed by Ann Lowe and was later auctioned off by a couple who worked on the Onassis yacht, Christina.
The first wedding dress was displayed at the Kennedy library.
Jackie Kennedy's second wedding dress was sold at Bonhams' "Classic Luxury: Style Icons" online sale.
The designer of Jackie Kennedy's second wedding dress was Valentino.
