What Jackie Wore
Friday, December 5, 2008 at 5:37 PM 
Photo courtesy of the Kennedy Library
As the Inaugural Ball fervor continues, and our collective imaginations run wild with fanciful ball gowns and inspired haute couture bespoke for Mrs. O, we thought we'd dust off the history books and review the Inaugural costumes of First Ladies past. And what better way to begin than with the greatest style icon of all: Jackie Kennedy.
It was January 20, 1961. As President and Mrs. Kennedy arrived at the National Guard Armory in Washington, Stanley Woodward, chairman of the Inaugural Balls, recalled that Mrs. Kennedy "stopped everybody dead in their tracks."
She wore a white silk peau d'ange cape with soft lines, an elegant drape and twin embroidered buttons at the neck. It felt both regal and romantic in the same breath. Precise arm slits allowed 20-button white kid gloves to peek through, as Mrs. Kennedy held a matching silk peau d'ange clutch.
And as the official press release described, the dress underneath was "a full-length sheath of white silk peau d'ange veiled with white silk chiffon ... the hip-length bodice richly embroidered in silver and brilliants, and covered by a transparent overblouse of white silk chiffon."
The designer of this stunning ensemble? Jackie Kennedy - although she did turn to Diana Vreeland, then editor of Harper's Bazaar, and Ethel Franau, the esteemed former fashion director of Bergdorf Goodman, for expert help.
Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years includes an undated letter from Mrs. Kennedy to Vreeland, in which Jackie relays her design vision: "Here is the picture [of a dress by Victor Stiebel] I tore out of some English magazine of what I think I would like the Inaugural Ball dress to be ... I imagine it is silver and white with a faille skirt. I also imagine the lines are the same as the enclosed Dior picture with the dark beaded top. I would like to modify the long bodice - so it doesn't look like a Dior of this season - something more timeless."
The book also notes that the undefined-waist silhouette created by the chiffon overblouse was inspired by Marc Bohan's debut collection for Dior. Though as the note above indicates, Mrs. Kennedy was conscious not to reference Dior with too heavy a hand. The cape, notably absent in her directive, was said to be Jackie's very own late-in-the-day addition.
As much inspiration in fashion comes from looking back, we thought it might be worthwhile to consider a few Jackie Kennedy style notes for Mrs. O and her Inaugural Ball selection.
As a woman interested in clothes, who has a distinct point of view that manifests in most everything she wears, how perfect it would be for Mrs. O to collaborate with one her favorite designers. Maria Pinto, also a personal friend, would make an ideal candidate. A personal style statement in the greatest sense, a co-creation would truly set the tone for Mrs. O's White House wardrobe.
And though many expect Mrs. O to wear one of the rich jewel tones she's known to favor, perhaps a pure winter white would have the greatest impact. After all, Jackie was a fan of bold hues herself, but dazzled in white for the Inaugural Ball.
Finally, while all eyes seem to focus on the gown, attention must be paid to every layer. As we saw with Jackie, the impact of an overcoat may be just as great as the dress underneath. The grand entrance brings the peak of suspense and drama and the world will be watching (certainly, we will be).
Check out the newly opened LIFE Magazine photo archive at Google for wonderful historical photos, including this, this and this of Mrs. Kennedy from the 1961 Inaugural Ball. And finally, we should note that much of the research for this post was done with the help of the truly lovely book Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years.
Oleg Cassini in First Lady Fashion
Reader Comments (11)
What a fantastic post !
The links are wonderful.
Your thoughts for Mrs O and her inauguration ensemble are relevant and right-on.
Until you mentioned it, I had thought in passing in regards to Mrs O's gown being white, but now upon reading this post, the idea of a clean, white, perfectly cut gown against her glowing dark skin has taken hold - she would look ravishing.
I hope that Mrs O and her designer seriously consider this option.
What is awsome about Jackie O's dress is that it's timeless, anyone that can pull it off can totally wear that dress today on the red carpet or anywhere else.
Im confident that Mrs O. is also going to get it spot on! And im confident she will wear a dress that we'll be talking about years from now!
Although I keep hearing white, and most people seemed to like the Peter Som white outfit he designed for Mrs O., I have to say I am totally against her wearing white. It needs to have life, and color, and vibrancy. That's what the Obama white house year means to a lot of people, change and life, and white just does not give one that impression...
anyways, impatiently waiting for inauguration day to see THE DRESS!!!
Great post!
Thank you, Mrs. T, for the enlightening historical perspective - and such wonderful detail! We'll hope that - like Jackie - Michelle holds true to her own sense of style, realizes the historic significance of this inauguration and matches the occasion with an iconic look for the ages.
Hmm, not to contradict, but I actually don't care that much for what Jackie O wore... Sorry!! I do think it's cool to see, though, and anticipate the comparison.
Kristan
http://jbu.phuzzymath.net/
Looks Like President Obama is going to look as handsome as JFK. Check out the tux he chose, and Hart Schaffner Marx is having an unbelievable sale too. $25.50 shirts, $22.50 ties. The ties are gorgeous, many like the ones Barack wears.
http://www.obama-mamas.com/blog/?p=118
I would also like to see Mrs. Obama wear something more vibrant and colorful to complement her personality. I'm pretty sure that any white anything will play beautifully off of her brown skin, but my favorite looks on her always involve color. Nonetheless, I'm sure that she will pick the best look for her skin tone and tall frame(probably Maria Pinto or some other Chicago designer), and we will all be here on this blog next month drooling over her choices.
www.zazzle.com/mizzbella
@ Nicolas
there are other sites where you are free to spew hate and venom, but seriously, how old are you?
I've deleted Nicolas's comment. No need for that. I'm just sorry it was up for as long as it was.
I prefer Mrs.O in color.
Elegant in black. First Jackie-O worthy comparison I've seen. Oh! Plus those lovely little ballet slippers...
My absolute favorite inaugural look. I don't think anyone has matched it since. My fingers are rossed that Mrs. O will knock it out of the park like Jackie did.