Jackie Kennedy Onassis: A Timeless Style That Inspired the Nation
Jackie Kennedy Onassis: A Timeless Style That Inspired the Nation
By: Alyssa Moncrief
Jackie O: A name synonymous with not only President Kennedy and the 50s, but trendsetting fashion, pink pillbox hats, and female empowerment. Through the style of First Lady Kennedy, some of America’s most popular trends can be spotted in the White House, at meetings with world leaders, and on the cover of fashion’s most elusive magazines.
One of America’s fondest first ladies, Jackie Kennedy Onassis was a trend-setter from the start of her college days at Vassar College and George Washington University. After spending a summer in France, she took her French heritage--derived from her great-grandfather--to heart and donned French styles such as brightly-colored florals, straight skirts, and large wide-brimmed hats.
Photo taken during summer in France, features First Lady Kennedy in pleated shorts, a colored, sleeveless floral blouse, and a wide-brimmed straw hat.
Before she married President Kennedy, Jackie was already well-acquainted with high society style. In 1947, tabloid writer Igor Cassini named her “Debutante of the Year,” after she stepped out in a white chiffon off-the-shoulder dress with a large bow around the waist.
Jackie is pictured on the left in her news-worthy debutante dress that would garner attention from affluent individuals such as Senator John F. Kennedy.
In 1953, young Jackie Bouvier married Senator John F. Kennedy in a ceremony with over 800 guests in attendance. Jackie wore an ivory silk dress with over fifty yards of fabric and included real orange blossoms sewn into the veil. The dress included a portrait neckline and a fitted bodice--two styles that were somewhat risque at that time.
Photo of Jackie Kennedy in her iconic wedding dress, taken on September 12, 1953.
As Jackie Kennedy took on the role of a politician’s wife and a socialite, she chose unconventional outfits and dresses that would be photographed by the press and eventually reach the masses. In 1956, she was seen in a fitted dress with a bodice top and velvet overlay. Non-coincidentally, velvet quickly gained popularity among American designers, particularly for wedding gowns and evening gowns.
After President Kennedy took office, Jackie took a step back and focused on appearing as a polished First Lady of the United States of America, focusing her efforts on renovating the White House and raising her family. Her style began to reflect a polished, refined American woman, which inspired women all over the country to begin wearing professional, masculine outfits such as shift dresses and skirt sets. This era brought about the infamous pillbox hats donned by First Lady Kennedy, which would become iconic parts of her style.
When Jackie Kennedy Onassis died in 1994, her iconic pearls and pink suit was memorialized by TIME Magazine’s cover featuring a portrait of the first lady. Years later, her out-of-the-box style and tasteful looks are still designated as the epitome of American fashion and influence designers and trends all around the world.
Outstanding women like Jackie influence the fashion world each day. Often, the latest trends are defined when these women walk out the door and reveal their latest fashion choice. The world cannot help but follow and admire the icons whose very closets are the most influential pulpits in the fashion world.
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Cover Photo Credit to Evening Standard.