Pink Chanel suit of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy
[6] In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Chanel suit was one of the strongest symbols of bourgeois female chic that could be found anywhere in the Western world, evoking a powerful image of a sophisticated, intelligent and independent modern woman.
[7] During this era it became the "wardrobe staple of the upwardly mobile American female which could fit almost every daytime occasion that required a woman to dress stylishly".
In an interview with William Manchester after the tragedy, Kennedy said that her husband had told her: "There are going to be all these rich, Republican women at that lunch ... wearing mink coats and diamond bracelets.
[6] Photographs exist of Mrs. Kennedy wearing the suit – or one very similar to it – in Washington, D.C. in November 1961; to church on November 12, 1961; in London on March 26, 1962; in Washington, D.C. in September 1962; in Lafayette Square on September 26, 1962; at the visit by the Prime Minister of Algeria on October 15, 1962; and the visit of the Maharaja of Jaipur on October 23, 1962.
The wide quilted collar, jacket lining, piping trim on the sleeves, and at the top of each pocket was navy blue silk.
For cool weather, Kennedy would wear a matching navy silk scarf knotted at the neck and tucked into the front of the jacket, which she did in Dallas.
Accompanying the suit was a trademark pillbox hat in matching pink with a band of navy piping around the crown.
[7] There was long a question among fashion historians and experts whether the suit was made by Chanel in France or a garment purchased from New York's Chez Ninon, a popular dress shop that imported European label designs and materials and put them together in the United States.
[8][9] A number of sources claimed it was more than likely a version of a Chanel pink bouclé wool suit trimmed with a navy blue collar, some asserting it was made by Chez Ninon[10] in 1961.
[8] Further complicating the matter was the indisputable fact that the First Lady's "official" designer was Oleg Cassini, who provided much of her public as well as private wardrobe.
William Manchester wrote in his 1967 book The Death of a President: The Lincoln flew down the boulevard's central lane; her pillbox hat, caught in an eddy of whipping wind, slid down over her forehead, and with a violent movement she yanked it off and flung it down.
[12] In The Death of a President, Manchester reported that the hat was taken back to the White House, where it was given to Agent Bob Foster of the Secret Service,[13] but nothing further is known.
[6] Eventually, the box was given to the National Archives in Maryland, together with an unsigned note bearing the Auchincloss letterhead stationery.
[12] The suit, which was never cleaned,[6] is kept out of public view in "an acid-free container in a windowless room ... the precise location is kept secret.
[3] Costume designer Madeline Fontaine recreated the suit for the 2016 film Jackie, with Natalie Portman portraying Kennedy; the buttons, chain, and label were provided by Chanel.
[21] Costume designer Jane Petrie recreated the suit for the eighth episode of the second season of The Crown, titled "Dear Mrs.
