About the Look

On the day Jacqueline Lee Bouvier married John F. Kennedy in 1953, she wore a custom gown by Ann Lowe (Fig. 1). Some have called it the “most photographed wedding dress in history” (Carter).

The dress, made with fifty yards of ivory silk taffeta, had the dramatic “New Look” silhouette fashionable of the early 1950s. Its fitted bodice featured a portrait neckline, and was embellished with interwoven bands of tucked fabric (Fig. 2) (Phelps). The skirt has been described as a “full bouffant” (Minutaglio). It also featured a sewing technique called “trapunto,” giving a layered, dimensional effect through ruffles and concentric circles (Fig. 3) (Davis & Grabowski).

In her book, Everything Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Book: A Portrait of an American Icon, Kathleen Tracy described the rest of Jacqueline’s bridal ensemble, including her billowing lace veil (Figs. 4-5):

“Jackie wore her grandmother’s lace veil, which was attached to her hair with a small lace tiara decorated with traditional orange blossoms. Her jewelry was minimal: a single strand of family pearls, a diamond leaf pin (a wedding gift from Jack’s parents), and a diamond bracelet Jack gave her the night before the wedding. Her wedding bouquet was white and pink spray orchids and gardenias.” (95)

Although the wedding took place years before the couple entered the White House, Jacqueline’s wedding dress is not only considered one of her most iconic looks, but “one of the most iconic wedding-day looks of all time” (Minutaglio).

This American Dream of a wedding dress tells three distinct narratives: the political ambitions of the Kennedys, their conflict with Jacqueline’s personal desires, and unsung career of African-American designer Ann Lowe.

The story of John F. Kennedy’s political career is rooted in that of his father, Joseph Kennedy. Joseph was the son of a Boston politician, and grew to be a ruthless businessman and self-made millionaire (“Kennedy, John F.” 862). In exchange for large donations to the presidential campaign of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Joseph was given several government positions (“Kennedy, John F.” 862). However, as an anti-Semite and nazi-sympathizer he fell out of Roosevelt’s favor, ending his personal career in politics (Renehan).

Joseph Kennedy was determined to make one of his sons the first Catholic president of the United States (Beauchamp). He groomed his eldest son, Joseph Jr., for the job, but Joseph Jr. tragically died in 1944 while serving in World War II (“Son of J.P. Kennedy Killed in Action”). That left the second Kennedy son, John (nicknamed “Jack”), to bear the “burden” of his father’s dream (Beauchamp).

Following his military service and the end of World War II, the plan was set into motion. John F. Kennedy was elected to U.S. Congress in 1946, and after serving three terms as a congressman, he won a U.S. Senate seat in 1952 (Fig. 6). In 1960, he would become the youngest man ever elected President of the United States. However, as a newly-elected senator, Jack was still lacking something necessary for a future President: a wife and children. That changed on September 12, 1953, when he married Jacqueline Lee Bouvier (Fig. 7). 

By the 1950s, custom gown designer Ann Lowe was the “best-kept secret” of her high-society clientele (Minutaglio).

Lowe came from humble beginnings. She was born in Clayton, Alabama, in 1898, the granddaughter of an enslaved African-American woman who was emancipated in 1860 (Minutaglio). A talent for sewing and design ran through Lowe’s veins, as both her mother and grandmother were accomplished dressmakers (Davis & Grabowski). The three women founded their own dress company in Montgomery and sewed for local elites (Minutaglio). In 1914, when her mother suddenly passed away, Lowe was tasked with completing her commissions — including a gown for the First Lady of Alabama (Minutaglio). Lowe was only sixteen years old at the time.

Lowe’s immense talent led her to dressmaking opportunities in Tampa, Florida, sewing for the wife and daughters of a wealthy business tycoon (Laneri). In 1917, she was granted a sabbatical from that position to enroll in a couture sewing course in New York City (Laneri). However, the administrators hadn’t realized that Lowe was African-American when they accepted her, and insisted that she be segregated from the other students (Brockell). After receiving her diploma, she returned to work in Florida for ten more years, and then permanently moved to New York at age twenty-eight (Minutaglio).

Her first jobs in New York City were for businesses, like Saks Fifth Avenue and Hattie Carnegie (Laneri). Olivia de Haviland wore an Ann Lowe gown to the 1946 Academy Awards, though the label bore the name of her employer, Sonia Rosenberg (Kirkham 128). 

Lowe’s creations finally had her name on them again in 1950, when she opened her own shop on Madison Avenue (Fig. 10). Her couture-quality custom gowns (Fig. 11) and relatively affordable prices attracted high-profile clients, including Roosevelts, Vanderbilts, and Rockefellers (Kirkham 128).

By that time, Lowe had already been sewing for the Bouviers and Auchinclosses for several years. In fact, Lowe did Janet’s gown for her 1942 second wedding to Hugh Dudley Auchincloss Jr. (Delloye). Lowe continued to have a long working relationship with the family, dressing them for various occasions, including Jacqueline’s “debut” gown (Fig. 12) (Delloye).

With Joseph Kennedy’s oversight, Ann Lowe received a commission for fifteen dresses: Jacqueline’s wedding dress, Janet’s mother-of-the-bride dress, and twelve others in the bridal party (Figs. 13-14).

Unfortunately, the commission turned out to be a nightmare for Lowe.

Disaster stuck just ten days before the Kennedy wedding. A pipe burst in Lowe’s studio, covering ten of the fifteen dresses — including the bride’s — in water, rust, and grime (Delloye). Keeping the ordeal a secret from the Kennedys, Lowe and her employees had to re-create in ten days what originally took them eight weeks (Davis & Grabowski). Lowe also needed to purchase new materials and hire extra seamstresses, turning any profit into a huge financial loss (Delloye).

When the dresses were finally finished, Lowe decided to hand-deliver them from New York City to Newport, Rhode Island (Davis & Grabowski). The staff at the door insisted that she enter through the back, however, Ann refused. She threatened to take the dresses back with her if she were not allowed in through the front door (Davis & Grabowski).