How Jackie 's Costume Designer Recreated That Iconic Pink Suit
There are few articles of clothing in American history so iconic as the pink suit Jackie Kennedy wore on the day of JFK's assassination. A line-for-line reproduction of Chanel-it was important for the First Lady to wear American-made clothing-the double-breasted boucle outfit is seared into our country's collective memory.
Jackie, a new film hoping to depict the titular character's mental anguish in the days following her husband's murder, had to get them exactly right. And much like the historic garment, it took a little help from the famed French fashion house.
"The pink suit we made for Natalie had buttons, chain, and the period label, lent by Chanel," said costume designer Madeline Fontaine in an interview with Who What Wear.
"The Chanel press person, Elsa Heizmann, called me when she heard about the project to propose a collaboration. It was not possible for us to lose the control of the process so we made the costumes in our workshop. Chanel chose the choice of the fabric, the color, and the quality of the workmanship, and proposed buttons and a label."
Crafting the look was hardly easy. "We hand-dyed the fabric until we found the exact shade of pink," Fontaine told the New York Times. "And then we made five of those suits."
Of course, consulting the original pieces is impossible, making the task of recreating them all the more difficult. The suit, along with her stockings currently reside in the National Archives. They will not be displayed publicly until at least 2103, so as not to "in any way to dishonor the memory of the late President or cause unnecessary grief or suffering to members of his family."
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