The village

Continued Style of Jackie Kennedy

By Donna Evers

April 2009

The press seems to enjoy comparing First Lady Michelle Obama with Jacqueline Kennedy, especially after the Obama’s whirlwind tour of Europe. Michelle Obama dazzled her audience with her chic, sleeveless ensembles, which remind us of Jackie Kennedy and the quintessential sheath dress she introduced in the 1960s.

Bringing the Kennedys back to mind makes us realize all-day news started, in part, in the era of Jack and Jackie Kennedy. The press and the public simply couldn’t get enough of the handsome young president, the two pretty children and the doe-eyed young woman whose every hat, dress and pair of shoes was scrutinized and idolized in TV and magazines around the world.

It is no surprise the Kennedys’ reign in Washington became known, after the fact, as Camelot. When the tragedy of President Kennedy’s assassination brought a sudden and bitter end to that idyllic era, it was Jackie with her regal bearing and unwavering sense of style who orchestrated the monumental three-day funeral. Her achievement was to give the young President’s death the honor and decorum the whole country needed in order to get closure and go forward.

Jackie Kennedy was only 34 years old at the time, with two small children to raise. At first, she moved back to Georgetown. This was only natural, since Jack and Jackie started their married life in a rental on Dent Place, then moved to 3307 N St. and from there to the White House. Jackie eventually left Washington for New York, seeking a greater level of privacy, which always seemed to elude her. She shocked her adoring public when she married the aging, overweight Aristotle Onassis, one of the richest men in the world. Eventually people got over it and the press continued pursuing her from country to country. In TV coverage and magazine stories, she continued to look impossibly slim, elegant and perfectly dressed.

In 2001, some years after her death, the Corcoran Gallery featured an exhibit of the clothes she wore during her 1000 days as First Lady. It was one of the most widely attended shows in the museum’s history. The public’s fascination with her unique style never died; in fact, twelve years ago, when the Kennedy family auctioned off the last few remaining bits and pieces of Camelot, the success of the auction exceeded all expectations. Next to the famous photo of Jackie with toddler John-John on her lap, his little fingers entwined in her signature three-strand pearl necklace, one of her faux pearl necklaces was auctioned off for over $200,000, and the auction which had been estimated at $4 million brought in over $34 million!

Jackie Kennedy captured the public’s imagination like no other First Lady, with the possible exception of Grover Cleveland’s beautiful young wife, Frances Folsom. However, Frances didn’t live in an era of television, as Jackie did, and it will be interesting, in this era of 24/7 media coverage, to watch as Michelle Obama establishes her own style. So far, so good.

Donna Evers President and Broker Evers & Co. Real Estate Inc. 4400 Jenifer St. N.W. Washington, D.C. 20015 www.eversco.com O. 202-364-1700 C. 202-255-5009 F. 202-364-1742

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