Wedding dress of Jacqueline Bouvier


The wedding dress of Jacqueline Bouvier was worn by Jacqueline Bouvier in her wedding to John F. Kennedy on 12 September 1953. The dress is one of the best-remembered bridal gowns of all time.
The gown was the creation of African-American fashion designer Ann Lowe, who never received credit for it during her lifetime. Instead, when asked who made her dress, Jacqueline Kennedy said it was a "colored woman."

Design

, Jacqueline's mother, hired Lowe to design and make the entire bridal party's outfits.
The bridal gown, of ivory-colored silk taffeta, featured a portrait neckline and huge round skirt. The skirt featured interwoven tucking bands and tiny wax flowers. Jacqueline's lace veil had belonged to her grandmother; a lace-and-orange-blossom tiara tied the veil to her hair. Her bridal bouquet was made of white and pink gardenias and orchids.
Jacqueline wore little jewelry with the dress, but what she did wear had personal significance. The single-strand pearl necklace was a family heirloom; she also wore a diamond pin from her parents and diamond bracelet from her groom, John F. Kennedy.

Dress Nearly Lost

A flood in Lowe's Lexington Avenue workshop 10 days before the wedding ruined the bride's gown and nine of the bridal-party's dresses. The designer and her staff worked through eight days to reconstruct the gowns and get them delivered on time. Instead of an estimated $700 profit, Lowe lost $2,200 on the project.

Reception

The dress was crafted in a very traditional design, per the wishes of the Kennedy family; it won worldwide acclaim. However, Jacqueline had wanted a simple dress, with firm lines, to complement her tall, slim figure. She later told friends privately that she didn't like the dress' portrait neckline because, she felt, it emphasized her small bust. She also said that, in her opinion, the skirt looked "like a lampshade."