Ann Lowe: The Genius Behind Jackie Kennedy's Dress

in 1953 Jacqueline Lee bouier married John Fitzgerald Kennedy and one of those weddings of the century that seem to occur every few years she was a 24-year-old former debutant who had been working for a Washington newspaper as an inquiring camera girl while prospecting for a husband he was a freshman senator from Massachusetts with his ey on the White House but you know all that and what ensued you may even recall the pictures of Jackie's dress one of the most photographed bridal gowns in history Jackie was the architect of her own myth and pretty much everything she wore after her marriage was chosen to enhance it her GIC ancestry embellished in the retelling was a central motif in that regard her wedding gown was a disappointment to her according to Kennedy historians the young Miss Bouvier had lobbied for something spelt and parision but Joseph Kennedy the groom's father and Empress Ario overruled her he was wary of sending the wrong message decadent foreign glamour the dress that Jackie got was a chased confection of ivory silk taffeta with a portrait neckline a daintily touched bodice and a parasol skirt applique with frilly rosettes she wore it with Regal appom though her Peak may have simmered in 1961 Mrs Kennedy's first year in the White House a writer who interviewed her for the lady's Home Journal reported that the Gown had been made by a colored woman dress maker and was not the oat Couture that colored woman dress maker an Lo was in fact a consumate couturier her work was admired by Christian Dior and by the legendary costumer Edith Head Jackie's formidable mother Janet Oren Closs was a faithful client Jackie and her sister Lee had both made their Newport debuts in a low dress marjerie Merryweather post the ays and philanthropist Donald Trump bought maralago from her estate chose a silk F robed of style attributed to low for her Portrait by an artist who had painted Queen Elizabeth Jessica Regan an associate curator at the Met costume Institute Compares low to mboka she was a brilliant example of the American Couture tradition a sculptural designer whose work was a dialogue with the body of the woman who wore it Lowe's evening and Bridal Wear were sold coast to coast in upscale department stores she owned salons at several locations on Madison Avenue in her Heyday the mid-50s she claimed that she sold 1,000 gowns a year grossing $300,000 her math tends to be inflected by hyperbole each gown was an original that required hours of intensive labor Balenciaga by comparison produced about 300 pieces of coutu annually yet low commuted to the Upper East Side from a ground floor apartment in Harlem that she shared with her sister Sally who did the cooking the same millionaires who cherished the Finesse of her needle work hugged shamelessly over her prices and she routinely undercharged them explaining in interviews that the sheer happiness sewing brought her was its own reward retailers profited from her labels cache but didn't Advance the costs of her materials or her labor and the debts she incurred to suppliers helped ruin her the Kennedy wedding for which Lo also dressed the Bridesmaids was a notable debacle for her a plumbing disaster in her Studio destroyed the gowns shortly before the event toiling sleeplessly she recreated them at her own expense she never complained to the family she did however indignantly refuse to use the service entrance at the oring CLA Farm threatening to take her work back to New York if it and she weren't ushered through the front door according to her own chronology Lo was born in Clayton Alabama in 1898 her grandmother was a formerly enslaved dress maker and her mother specialized in embroidery when L was 16 her mother passed away suddenly in her mother's Place L completed a high-profile order from the governor's wife that established her as the new head of the family business Lo left her husband and moved to Florida with her son becoming a living dress maker for a socialite for 10 years in 1917 she traveled to New York City to attend sewing courses as the only black student she was segregated to a separate room away from her peers she permanently moved to New York City in 1928 loe's client network was integral to her success she became famous among the wealthy American Elite for her one of a kind gowns made of fine Fabric and handiwork often evoking floral motifs low specialized in debutant gowns and pleased clients would return to her for their wedding dresses in her research museum at fit curator Elizabeth way describes the kouto quality techniques emblematic of Low's craftsmanship which included gathered T and canvas to hold out hems lace seam binding hand SE oranza facings and waits to promote proper hang in 1950 Lo opened her Standalone business and Lo's gowns in New York City in 1953 anlo was chosen to create the dresses for the entire bridal party of Jacqueline Bouvier's wedding to Senator John F Kennedy the wedding gown received publicity but the Press did not credit low at the time referring to her as a colored dress maker although she excelled at dress making and designed for an elite cantel L was paid less than white designers for her Custom Design work upon the death of her son and business partner in 1958 she had difficulty making NS meet ultimately declaring bankruptcy in 1962 an anonymous benefactor thought to be Jacqueline Kennedy own nassis paid off the debt low had incurred from medical and business expenses no longer society's best kept secret as the Saturday evening post called her low is now recognized as a pioneering African-American couturier her pieces are preserved in renowned Museum collections including the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American history and culture the Metropolitan Museum of Art the Museum of the city of New York and the museum at fit

Channel: One Fashion Question

Views: 65,180

Keywords: Ann Lowe: The Genius Behind Jackie Kennedy's Dress, ann lowe, fashion history, african american history, History, Jackie Kennedy, Design, Legacy, Sewing, Icon, Celebrity, Vintage, Designer, Dress, Black History, Fashion Designer, Costume, black fashion designers, black history month, 1960s fashion, 60s fashion, vintage fashion, american history, black fashion, black history facts, bridal, couture, ann lowe american couturier, ann lowe fashion designer, ann lowe fashion designer biography

Id: zuh8gp8zJDI

Length: 9min 9sec (549 seconds)

Published: Tue May 07 2024