1959-1960 Jacqueline Kennedy Dress By African Amererican Designer Banned From the White House Offered by MEARS Auctions

Unique never before historic Jackie Kennedy Dress Designed by African American Designer Ann Lowe comes to market

SOUTH MILWAUKEE, WI, US, October 1, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Saturday, October October 3rd, 2020

MEARS Online Auctions
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Recently discovered dress worn by Jackie Kennedy designed by African American designer Ann Lowe is currently being offered for sale by MEARS Online Auctions. After JFK was elected to office, our consignor stated Joe Kennedy banned Jackie from wearing any clothes designed by the African American designer Lowe. After being banned, the dress was gifted to the consignor's aunt until being offered for sale.

The dress with straps and matching jacket were constructed of high quality pink fabric with a trapunto like pattern. A pink bow tie with a tulle train completes the ensemble. Two original bobby pins are found on the reverse and were used by Jackie Kennedy to hold this headpiece intact. The dress is consistent with respect to design that utilized her fine handiwork, signature design, and trapunto technique. This dress was all of Ann Lowe’s signature traits and is 100% consistent with what she would have personally designed and executed.

Lowe and her son opened Ann Lowe's Gowns, in New York City on Lexington Avenue in 1950. Her one-of-a-kind designs made from the finest fabrics were an immediate success and attracted many wealthy, high society clients. One design element she was known for were her fine handwork, signature flowers, and trapunto technique. The Saturday Evening Post later called Lowe "society's best kept secret”. Throughout her career, Lowe was known for being highly selective in choosing her clientele. She later described herself as "an awful snob", adding: "I love my clothes and I'm particular about who wears them. I am not interested in sewing for cafe society or social climbers. I do not cater to Mary and Sue. I sew for the families of the Social Register." Over the course of her career, Lowe created designs for several generations of the Auchinclosses, the Rockefellers, the Lodges, the Du Ponts, the Posts and the Biddles.

In 1953, she was hired to design a wedding dress for future First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier and the dresses for her bridal attendants for her September wedding to then-Senator John F. Kennedy. Lowe was chosen by Janet Auchincloss, the mother of Jacqueline Bouvier, who had previously commissioned Lowe to design the wedding dress she wore when she married Hugh D. Auchincloss in 1942. Lowe's dress for Bouvier consisted of fifty yards of "ivory silk taffeta with interwoven bands of tucking forming the bodice and similar tucking in large circular designs swept around the full skirt." The dress, which cost $500 (approximately $5,000 today), was described in detail in The New York Times's coverage of the wedding. While the Bouvier-Kennedy wedding was a highly publicized event, Lowe did not receive public credit for her work.

According to our consignor, “I do remember my aunt saying Jackie had several outfits designed by two African American women. One of the ladies was Ann Lowe, who also designed Jackie's wedding dress. My aunt told me that Ann lost her salon in New York City sometime in the early 60's and she thought it was because of health problems. My aunt went on to tell me that when Jackie found this out, she anonymously paid Ann’s back bills. Ann was able to open a new store after she recovered. Ann Lowe died February 25, 1981, in Queens, New York at the age of 83.

Jackie Kennedy gave this outfit and portrait to my aunt right before Jackie's move into the White House. This outfit is indeed a rare find as most of Jackie’s clothes were donated by her children to a convent in Rhode Island after she died. They thought Jackie would agree with them to donate her wardrobe to charity, as she had donated many items to charity in the past.”

Our consignor has kept this iconic dress and jacket her entire life and during the processing for the auction, recalled the following facts which I thought were important and added context to this piece. Questions may be directed to Troy R Kinunen at (414)-828-9990 or email troy@mearsonline.com

Troy Kinunen
MEARS Online Auctions
+1 414-828-9990
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