The untold story of Ann Lowe, the Black designer behind Jackie Kennedy's wedding dress

The untold story of Ann Lowe, the Black designer behind Jackie Kennedy's wedding dress - CNN

The untold story of Ann Lowe, the Black designer behind Jackie Kennedy's wedding dress - CNN
The elegance of wedding dresses through the ages - SHINE
The Bachelorette's Stylist Reveals Whether Tayshia Got to Keep Her Stunning Finale Dress - POPSUGAR
Sustainable Dresses for the Holiday Season, Inspired by Raquel Zimmermann’s Supermodel Style - Vogue
'Wedding Dresses Through the Decades' exhibit kicks of 10th year in January - Daily News Journal

The untold story of Ann Lowe, the Black designer behind Jackie Kennedy's wedding dress - CNN

Posted: 23 Dec 2020 04:10 AM PST

Some 800 guests saw the dress at the ceremony at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Newport, Rhode Island, and 400 more watched it glide through the reception that evening. And then there were the 3,000 well-wishers who broke through police barricades to witness Jacqueline Lee Bouvier's arrival at her wedding to then Sen. John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

A photo of the newlyweds ran on the front page of The New York Times on September 13, 1953. But the grainy black-and-white shot, the bride half obscured by her husband, couldn't do justice to the bouffant skirt and the layers of silk taffeta, the intricate scallop pintucks and tiny flowers of wax -- a fitting choice for the woman who would go on to become American royalty.

The gown, like those worn by Kennedy's bridesmaids, was the work of African American designer Ann Lowe, who died in February 1981.

"That dress she made for Jackie Kennedy was widely photographed. A lot of people saw it and it no doubt influenced average American wedding dresses and ball gowns," said Elizabeth Way, an assistant curator at The Museum at FIT. "The fact that (the dress) came from the creativity of a Black woman really speaks to how instrumental Black people have been in shaping American culture."

Jackie and John Kennedy are shown in their wedding attire. Credit: Lisa Larsen/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

'Society's best kept secret'

And while the dress delighted the American public, the same cannot be said for the bride's own reaction. According to fashion historian Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, who is the author of the recently released book "The Way We Wed: A Global History of Wedding Fashion," Kennedy was no fan of the dress she wore to walk down the aisle.

"Even though it's a beautiful dress, it was not what she wanted, and she actually compared it to a lampshade," Chrisman-Campbell explained. "It was chosen by her father-in-law-to-be, who wanted to create an American royalty moment and really set up his son as the heir to the family dynasty."

This bridal portrait of Jackie Kennedy captures the finery of her Ann Lowe-designed wedding dress. Credit: Bachrach/Archive Photos/Getty Images

At that point, Lowe was an established arbiter of American high-society style, delighting wealthy clients across the country (including Jaqueline's mother, Janet Lee Auchincloss, who commissioned Lowe to create her daughter's debutante and wedding dresses) with made-to-order princess silhouettes and couture-level embellishments. Years later, The Saturday Evening Post described her as "society's best kept secret" and "unfamiliar except to the very rich."

An unrepentant snob, Lowe was selective about her clients. Only the most elite were deserving of her efforts -- the Rockefellers and the du Ponts of the world, as well as stars like Olivia de Havilland, who wore one of Lowe's hand-painted floral designs the night she won best actress at the 1947 Academy Awards.

"I love my clothes and I'm particular about who wears them," Lowe said in an interview with Ebony magazine. "I'm 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."

To cater to her clientele, there was seemingly nothing she wouldn't do. After a flood in her Manhattan studio destroyed the Kennedy dresses just 10 days before the ceremony, she and her team worked day and night to ensure a new set was completed on time. She never mentioned a word of it to the family, and absorbed the additional costs herself.

How the most expensive clothes in the world get made

Inherited excellence

Ann Lowe was born in Clayton, Alabama, in 1898. Her grandmother, who had been born into slavery, and her mother ran an exclusive dressmaking business for wealthy patrons, and Lowe learned their craft from a young age.

"She had been working in dressmaking since she was a little girl, so she really had decades of experience by the time we get to the making of these ballgowns, these wedding gowns, these debutante gowns in the 1950s," Way said.

At 16, Lowe took over the family business after the death of her mother. She later studied design in New York, segregated from her White peers (she graduated after only six months because of her exceptional abilities) before setting up shop in Florida, where she built her reputation for extravagance and exclusivity. After a decade, she returned to Manhattan to do the same on the East Coast.

But the extreme wealth of the clients she so cherished wasn't enough to buoy her business. They would routinely talk her into lowering her prices, and she would often end up losing money from commissions. In 1963, she declared bankruptcy. (A longstanding rumor suggests Kennedy might have anonymously paid off her debts to the IRS.) By the time she retired in 1972, she was penniless.

African American designer Ann Lowe created one-of-a kind designs. Credit: Alamy

"She does the same amazing kind of job that Mainbocher does," fashion columnist Eugenia Sheppard once remarked, referring to Main Rousseau Bocher, Lowe's contemporary and the first American couturier. "The difference is that Mainbocher is a businessman as well as a designer, and he charges what he has to, to stay in business."

Rediscovering a fashion legacy

Since her death, the name Ann Lowe has meant little outside of fashion history circles. But in recent years, there has been a sharp increase in interest around the designer. Both an Ann Lowe biography and an Ann Lowe children's book have been published, and a historical fiction novel, by Piper Huguley, is in the works. Her designs have been exhibited at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and as part of FIT's 2017 exhibition "Black Fashion Designers."

Lowe's skill and success in a field where Black women are still routinely erased and excluded disrupts prevailing narratives about not just fashion industry, but American history.

"With all the political movements happening right now, that have been building over the last century, people are interested in the history of Black artists and Black creatives in so many industries, and it's great to know that (Black people's participation in fashion) didn't start in the beginning of the 2000s," Way said. "Black designers have always been working in the industry. There is a legacy there."

The elegance of wedding dresses through the ages - SHINE

Posted: 23 Dec 2020 08:03 PM PST

No matter how much the fashion industry evolves, white always dominates wedding dresses, a tradition that began when Queen Victoria's wedding dress made white gowns prevalent in the mid-19th century.

Forty vintage wedding gowns from the 19th century to the 1950s are on display at the China National Silk Museum through March 14.

Prior to Queen Victoria's time, Western nobility favored silvery wedding dresses, and middle-class women preferred colorful silk gowns.

The exhibition's British silk satin wedding dresses made in the time of Queen Victoria were supported by a bustle in the back below the waist to expand the skirt. The sleeves were puffed while the cuffs were designed with wrinkles.

The elegance of wedding dresses through the ages

China National Silk Museum / Ti Gong

A British silk satin wedding dress made in the time of Queen Victoria is supported by a bustle in the back below the waist to expand the skirt with puffed sleeves and wrinkles cuffs.

These luxury dresses have faded into a beige-like color, but their quality tells visitors they were once exclusive to the upper class.

From the 1860s to the 1920s, corsets were used in wedding dresses to accentuate or even exaggerate the curves of a woman's upper body.

One of the exhibit's wedding gowns was designed in the shape of an hourglass, reflecting the aesthetics of the time. During this period, people used pearls, as well as golden and silvery embroidered patterns, to decorate dresses, which gradually gained popularity in the West.

As the fashion industry developed, looms made it possible to produce lace in large quantities, and lace-decorated dresses were common at the beginning of the 20th century.

Long-lace bridal veils and wreaths were also used to decorate wedding dresses, making them more romantic and mild. Floral lace patterns were widely used on cuffs, corsages and shoulder parts.

China National Silk Museum / Ti Gong

Long-lace bridal veils and wreaths make this wedding dress more romantic and mild. Floral lace patterns are widely used on cuffs, corsages and shoulder parts at the beginning of the 20th century.

A breakthrough in the fashion industry took place in the 1920s when Coco Chanel designed a range of glamorous haute couture in black and white.

Fashion designers removed traditional corsets and bustles from wedding dresses, creating a new style that highlighted the waistline.

Some wedding gowns were revolutionary, characterized by a small, nipped-in waist and full skirt extending below the ankles, which emphasized women's busts and hips.

These wedding gowns gradually developed into evening dresses popular with trendsetters, including Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn.

As more women followed this trend, wearing this style of dress found its way into wedding ceremonies.

China National Silk Museum / Ti Gong

A pair of wedding shoes from the 1950s

"Romance and Purity" exhibition

Dates: Through March 14 (closed on Mondays)

Admission: Free

Address: 73-1 Yuhuangshan Rd

玉皇山路73-1

The Bachelorette's Stylist Reveals Whether Tayshia Got to Keep Her Stunning Finale Dress - POPSUGAR

Posted: 22 Dec 2020 01:06 PM PST

This season of The Bachelorette has been a wild ride, with Clare Crawley walking off into the sunset early with Dale Moss just a few episodes into the show and Tayshia Adams taking her place and winning us all over. One thing that hasn't changed this season? The number of gorgeous gowns we've seen Tayshia wear on the reality show. We talked to Cary Fetman, the stylist for The Bachelorette and The Bachelor, ahead of the show's highly anticipated finale to answer some of our burning style questions. And yes, we even got to talk about the gown Tayshia chose for her big moment on the finale! Cary even gave us a little glimpse of what to expect from Matt James's upcoming season of The Bachelor.

"The finale dress was a result of [looking through] so many racks of gowns from so many designers. I truly had wanted to stay away from a lot of glitzy crystal and sequin dresses since we were in the desert. When I first started looking for [a gown for] Tayshia, I truly believed she'd only pick fabric dresses without the glitz, but I was wrong. When Tayshia tried this dress on, we both fell in love with it and knew it was the one. From the baby blue color, the detailing of the accordion tulle that peeks out of the slit, and the satin ribbon across her backside, this was one of my favorites — especially against the dark, dry mountains of a desert," Cary exclusively told POPSUGAR.

Keep scrolling to read more of our interview with Cary and take a look back at some of Tayshia's most memorable style moments from her season as the Bachelorette ahead.

Sustainable Dresses for the Holiday Season, Inspired by Raquel Zimmermann’s Supermodel Style - Vogue

Posted: 23 Dec 2020 09:15 AM PST

As a long-time champion of environmental causes and eco-friendly clothing brands, Tonne Goodman–legendary stylist, former Vogue fashion director, current Vogue Sustainability editor–has always been my north star on what to buy, where to buy it, when to buy it, and how to wear it. It doesn't hurt that she is one of the chicest women I've ever met and I idolize her personal style as much as I do her work for both Vogue and our planet. With Tonne's book, Point of View, coming out last year, we thought a joyful way to talk about the future of fashion would be to look back to some of Tonne's greatest shoots for Vogue and breathe new life into the looks by shopping them out from sustainable brands. This is a celebration of timelessness–good style is forever as are great wardrobe basics–and we already know Tonne's edit will stand the test of time.

THEN:

The snow is falling on the East Coast and the holiday music is on every radio station–it's full-on festive season and Tonne and I have decided to focus on an epic image of Raquel Zimmermann wearing a red Donna Karan gown from Vogue's May 2010 issue as we chat over holiday Zoom cocktails. This shoot in particular feels very apropos for this December, as the original spread was titled "The American Experience." Indeed, we are finally finished with a monumental election and, come January 20, we'll usher in a new president. "This [picture of Raquel Zimmermann] is from a story called 'The American Experience,' which represented historic archetypes of our national style. Among the quintessential American figures is the screen siren, thanks to the power of Hollywood and film, both on screen and what would have been on the red carpet," Tonne says as she flipped through the issue. "This is really one of the most fun shoots that I have ever done because of the variety of characters and because of the fabulous team we had, which included David Sims and some of my favorite models." Tonne smiled as she spoke, "I love the freedom of expression when you go back through history, American history in this case, and relish in the possibilities. The scope of American style is so huge and this is an example of that. It goes from fanciful to political and everything in between."

NOW:

As we recreate this iconic lady-in-red moment in time for a holiday spent like no other in the United States, it feels right to talk about sustainable American fashion. Holiday dressing itself is often quite wasteful, so it feels important to riff on the original look with sustainable pieces as well as items that will integrate seamlessly into any wardrobe, festive season and beyond.

Mara Hoffman Sicily hemp midi dress

$450

NET-A-PORTER

Vrai x Amanda Hearst Rønning celestial double strand tennis necklace

$67,000

VRAI

What also takes a red carpet-worthy dress to the next level? As any stylist or starlet–or, to borrow text from our original Vogue story, "screen siren"–will tell you, it's all about the undergarments. These GOTS-certified, organic cotton bralette and briefs from Botanica Workshop are soft and comfortable without skimping on style. Designed and made in Los Angeles, they feature the perfect little vintage shell button as a finishing detail on very classic shapes.

Botanica Workshop Aya bralette

$78

BOTANICA WORKSHOP

Botanica Workshop Astra brief

$65

BOTANICA WORKSHOP

Holiday parties—not exactly what we expected this year, right? But, what better reason to dress up a little when you are celebrating with your stay-at-home crew that's gotten a little too used to your sweatpants. Dress, check; jewelry, check; the perfect underpinnings, check. Now, on to a signature scarlet lip to match. Remember make-up? From RMS, this Lip2Cheek formula in Beloved is the ultimate in easy makeup and made from certified organic ingredients. RMS also prides itself on its recyclable and reusable minimal packaging. Speaking of minimal, nothing is doing more with less than the revolutionary Air Vodka–the finishing touch for this sustainable holiday party set up we have in the works. Air Vodka uses air, water, and sunlight as its three main ingredients. That's it. On top of the natural ingredients, Air is actually able to minimize photosynthesis and transform carbon dioxide (captured from the air) into impurity-free alcohols. We will certainly cheers to that.