Sophistication
| Introduction Rebellious Inventive Restoration Sophistication > Continuation |
 But Jackie’s most memorable innovations in fashion lay not in restoration but in her personal style, where she succeeded in converting a nation to an appreciation of her refined and sophisticated tastes. Her every fashion purchases were scrutinized and celebrated by the press. While in the White House, she chose American designers like Norman Norell, Stella Sloat, and Oleg Cassini. She realized the importance of her wardrobe as a counterpoint to her husbands administration – youthfully idealistic and ardently optimistic – and she obsessively pored over the details of each design. She knew every outfit had to be photogenic and easy to read in a crowd. She knew to follow the subtleties of construction and detailing, aware that she would be subject to intense scrutiny. But overarching all of this, she declared that her clothes were to be “in prefect taste – so simple and so beautiful.” Most Importantly though, Jackie knew how to accessorize. She was absolutely fascinated with jewelry and everyone, from foreign leaders bearing gifts of state to her closest confidants, knew that she loved the art of jewelry above all else in fashion. As a coordinator of jewelry and wardrobe, Jackie was unmatched. Already by 1961, after only a year in the White House, Woman’s Wear Daily had proclaimed that the “Jackie look” had become “park of our collective culture.”Jackie’s experiences in the White House, and particularly on trips abroad, served to highlight the effects her style had on the world. She always dressed and accessorized with an eye for effective juxtapositions and dramatic effect, and it paid off. Her presence always insured her husband big crowds and safe treatment, and by her own design she became a powerful and potent political assest. Her effects abroad were priceless, as she broke down barriers between nations, and she became a source of pride for her countrymen – an American beauty abroad. All in all, during her tragically curtailed reign as First Lady, Jackie taught the nation the transformative possibilities of beauty, culture, and artistic expression. And in doing so, taught the country that style was a state of being. |
