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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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.

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.

Weekend Eye Candy - Jacqueline Kennedy's Wedding Dress

Every year in June I devote my Weekend Eye Candy posts to wedding dresses and brides.  I going to start this month with one of the best known wedding gowns of all time.

On September 12, 1953, Jacqueline Bouvier married then congressman John F. Kennedy.  Her gown was made by Ann Lowe, an African-American couturier working out of New York.  It is said that Jackie would have preferred a simpler gown with clean, straight lines to complement her figure, but she bowed to the wishes of the Kennedy family in wearing this one with a huge bouffant skirt.

The long lace veil was originally worn by Jackie's grandmother.  Her headpiece was made of matching lace circled with wax flowers.  The same was flowers decorated the skirt of the ivory silk taffeta gown.

Here you can see the true color of the gown.  It is on display at the Kennedy Library in Boston.

Bob Bugnand

Bob Bugnand (pronounced boon-yon) worked as the chief designer for Jacques Heim and Robert Piquet before opening his own couture workroom in Paris. In 1957, he opened a salon on East 62nd Street in New York, where he took custom orders from society women. Customers were measured and chose the design and fabrics they wanted. The order was then shipped by air to Paris where the dress was made in Bugnand's French workrooms. Within three weeks, the customer’s dress arrived back in New York for final fittings. Bugnand's New York salon was a great success, as it gave American women the opportunity to wear French workmanship without having to travel to Paris. Prices for his garments ranged from $300 – $1000 in 1957 ($2310 - $7699 in today's dollar). Bugnand’s creations were worn by the Duchess of Windsor, Babe Paley, and Jacqueline Kennedy, among others. He was accepted into the French haute couture Chambre Syndicale in 1960.

In 1962, Bugnand began a collaboration with Sam Friedlander, a wholesale dress manufacturer. He designed the majority of Friedlander’s cocktail and evening dresses, which featured couture caliber trims on moderately priced dresses that sold for $90 – $375 ($645 - $2686 in today's dollar).

Please note: Biographical information about Bob Bugnand is copyright of Couture Allure and may not be copied without permission.

The dress shown above was one of Bugnand's designs for Friedlander in 1964. The apricot colored silk is embroidered with white dots and six layers of silk form the deep ruffles at the neckline.

Jackie Kennedy wears a 1959 Bugnand suit during her husband's Presidential campaign.

Links à la Mode: January 25

Please enjoy these links from my colleagues at IFB:

A Few Goody GumDrops - A Few Goody Gumdrops tells you how to own a Rockstar!

Aysha’s Rabbit Hole - my new creation! still working on it though!

Capitola Girl Jewelry Blog - brick house reds

Couture Allure - Couture Allure takes a three day look at the inaugural fashions worn by Jacqueline Kennedy.

Debutante Clothing - Mad for Vintage at the Golden Globes

Dogmom’s Dish - Hayden Harnett for Target: The Good, The Bad, The So So

dramatis personae - Etsy Designers: Mischief, My Dear! Shop Launch & giveaway!

fashion in my eyes - Blake in Vogue

fete a fete - Spring denim by Freedom of Choice & interview with founder Nathan Menashe

Independent Fashion Bloggers - Swag Etiquette: How to approach the ‘freebies’ in blogging.

Iwanttowearit - Come along as we mine Flickr’s Commons for fashion-related history lessons. Take a trip to Pie Town at the tail end of the Depression.

Mademoiselle Robot - Vintage inspiration for Spring fashion.

Nico Assatly - Old School Spring Favorite : American Eagle!

Retro Chick - Brighten up the dull winter days

Shopping and Info - Shopping and Info found some great deals on Graydn leather motorcycle jackets, Ella Moss, and Lily Mcneal cashmere this week.

Solo Lisa y Nada Mas: - Affordable essentials for incorporating colour into a colour-phobic wardrobe

Studio Purpura - Vicente Villarin - A Fashion Newcomer that Dares to Dream!

Style Symmetry - Eyeliah loves props in outfit photos, do you?

THE COVETED - Become Red Lip Royalty: Interview with Lipstick Queen founder Poppy King

the musings of ondo lady - Meet Stephanie Savage, the queen of teen dramas such as The OC and Gossip.

two months rent - i’ll take (or make) one of those a diy braided chain necklace

Friday Charm School - Manners and Etiquette, Part 2

Last week's post about manners and etiquette rules certainly sparked some thoughtful commentary! Lets see how you feel about these accepted customs for women in the early 60s.

1. It is proper for a lady to bow her head slightly with a slight forward movement from the waist when being presented to clergymen or officials.

2. Hats are always worn in church. A hat is never worn by a hostess when entertaining at home (other than for a formal garden party). Neither are hats worn by house guests or by the daughter of the house. Hats should always be removed in a movie or theater when you are asked to.

3. Women do not smoke on the street or when waiting in line in front of a theater, store, or other building.

4. It is up to you, rather than your date, to suggest when it is time to go home or leave after dining. You should not suggest that it is time to go to another restaurant or night club, as your date may have made other plans or may not have enough money.


5. Gloves are worn to all formal occasions, going to or from church, and in the streets of large cities and towns. They are removed before eating, drinking, smoking, playing cards, or applying make-up. It is not necessary for women to remove gloves when shaking hands during an introduction.

6. It is a woman's prerogative to offer her hand during an introduction provided the other person is being presented to her. You should not offer your hand first to an older woman, an older man, or an official. You should wait for them to make the gesture.

Are you surprised by any of these? I was!

Vintage Roadshow - Links of the Week

And more vintage links from my colleagues at Vintage Roadshow. Enjoy!

Glamoursplash looks at vintage swimwear in advertising.
Here's Looking Like You, Kid shows us how to get those 1950's eyes.
Debutante Clothing strikes a pose in her vintage plaid pencil skirt.
Freudian Slips Vintage showcases new year vintage dresses.
Couture Allure offers a full week look at the style of Jacqueline Kennedy, including her inauguration fashion.

Vintage hats - 1962

Rose Valois

By 1962, hats had begun to wane in popularity, especially with younger women. Jacqueline Kennedy hated wearing hats, and only did so due to the protocol of her husband's office as President. Hat shapes changed to accomodate the larger bouffant hairdos of the time, and we see many bubble and Breton styles.

Claude St-Cyr

Paulette

Lanvin Castillo

Jean Barthet

Vintage Italian Fashion - Mila Schön

Unless otherwise noted, all clothing is by Mila Schön, 1969.

The life of designer Mila Schön is the stuff of fashion fairy tales. Born Maria Carmen Nutrizio about 1919 in Yugoslavia, her family lost their fortunes after the first World War when the lands of the Austro-Hungarian Empire were redistributed. The family eventually ended up in Italy, where Mila (her childhood nickname) met her husband, Aurelio Schön, a wealthy precious metals dealer.

1971

With her new station in life, Mila traveled to Paris, where she bought her couture wardrobe at the houses of Dior and Balenciaga. She became fascinated with the cut and construction techniques of the couturiers.

In the 1950s, her husband's jewelry business failed, and so did the marriage. Mila was a single mother with little money. She kept up her wardrobe by hiring Milanese seamstresses to make copies of Parisian couture. Her friends started asking her to make their clothes, and Mila opened her own atelier in 1958 in Milan. Without a design background, she continued to copy others until she felt she had the skills and confidence to produce her own designs.

By 1965, Schön had advance so far in her design skills, she was invited to show her line at the Pitti Palace with the best of Italian couturiers. She showed 25 outfits, all in various shades of purple, from palest lilac to deepest eggplant. She then opened her own couture house in Milan in 1966.


Neiman Marcus was the first to carry Mila Schön in the U.S., followed closely by Bonwit Teller and Henri Bendel. Her clothes were worn by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Lee Radziwill, Babe Paley, Imelda Marcos, and Farah Diba, wife of the Shah of Iran.

Schön was an expert tailor with flawless attention to detail. She preferred to tailor her suits and coats with double faced wools, or with duplicate inner and outer layers, sewn together at the edges, in order to eliminate facings and linings. She was also known for her unique juxtaposition of colors, often using insets of contrasting fabrics, as you can see in several of the garments shown here.

During the 1970s, Schön added ready-to-wear, menswear, shoes, handbags, swimwear, jewelry, and perfume, among others.

Veruschka wearing Mila Schön, 1969

Mila went into semi-retirement in the 1980s, and her many lines lost a sense of cohesion. She sold her company to the Japanese firm Itochu in 1993. In 1994, they brought in designers from Krizia and then persuaded Schön to return in 1996. In 1999, the company was acquired by Mariella Burani Fashion Group SpA and the Mila Schön brand thrives to this day. In 2002, the Burani Group introduced the Mila Schon Concept line of clothing which was meant to appeal to a younger customer. It was unsuccessful and only lasted a few seasons.

Mila died on September 4, 1998 just days before the company was set to celebrate it's 50th anniversary.

Shown here is the brilliant green and navy blue uniform Schön designed for Alitalia Airlines in 1969. She designed the complete wardrobe for Alitalia's "air hostesses", including a two piece wool suit in winter and summer weights, a coat, a cape, a cabin frock, and a contrasting navy hat. She also designed the shoes and boots that were made by Bruno Magli.

This 1969 colorblocked pantsuit by Mila Schön is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Please note: Biographical information about Mila Schön is copyright of Couture Allure and may not be copied without permission.