Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years: Selections from the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum: The White House Years - Selections from the J.F.Kennedy Library and Museum [Gebundene Ausgabe]

 

 

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Dieses Begleitbuch zur Ausstellung des Metropolitan Museum of Art zeigt prachtvolle ganzseitige Aufnahmen verschiedener Kleider, die Jacqueline Kennedy während der Administration ihres Mannes zu offiziellen Anlässen trug. Zu jedem Kleid werden detaillierte Informationen zu dessen Entstehungsgeschichte, dem historischen Hintergrund der Verwendung verschiedener Materialien sowie Applikationen gegeben. Die Anlässe, zu denen diese Kleider getragen wurden, erstehen in der Phantasie beim Lesen der Begleittexte zu lebendigen Bildern. Wegbegleiter der Kennedy-Administration beschreiben im ersten Teil des Buches ihre Erlebnisse und lassen den Leser den Rahmen des im zweiten Teil Gezeigten miterleben und verstehen. So gibt dieses Buch auch einen kurzen, gleichzeitig prägnanten historischen Abriß der Kennedy-Administration. Ein Buch, das einmal mehr den wegweisenden Stil von Jacqueline Kennedy in hoher Qualität dokumentiert.

Dieses Begleitbuch zur Ausstellung des Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art zeigt prachtvolle ganzseitige Aufnahmen verschiedener Kleider, die Jacqueline Kennedy während der Administration ihres Mannes zu offiziellen Anlässen trug. Zu jedem Kleid werden detaillierte Informationen zu dessen Entstehungsgeschichte, dem historischen Hintergrund der Verwendung verschiedener Materialien sowie Applikationen gegeben. Die Anlässe, zu denen diese Kleider getragen wurden, erstehen in der Phantasie beim Lesen der Begleittexte zu lebendigen Bildern. Wegbegleiter der Kennedy-Administration beschreiben im ersten Teil des Buches ihre Erlebnisse und lassen den Leser den Rahmen des im zweiten Teil Gezeigten miterleben und verstehen. So gibt dieses Buch auch einen kurzen, gleichzeitig prägnanten historischen Abriß der Kennedy-Administration. Ein Buch, das einmal mehr den wegweisenden Stil von Jacqueline Kennedy in hoher Qualität dokumentiert.

Caution: If you like looking at lots of photographs of early 1960s designer dresses, you will probably like this book. Otherwise, this is probably not the right book for you.

During the presidential election of 1960, Ms. Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy made an immense impression on American society. At 31, she was a dramatic contrast with the vice president's wife, Ms. Patricia Nixon, and recent first ladies (Ms. Mame Eisenhower, Ms. Bess Truman, and Ms. Eleanor Roosevelt). She was much younger than these women, was pregnant with her son, John, and seemed like someone who came from another world. Ms. Kennedy was highly cultured, interested in the fine arts, attractive in a way that showed up well in photographs and on television, and wore gorgeous clothes of the sort usually only seen in the best fashion magazines.

Once in the White House, her differences from other first ladies became more apparent. A major effort to redecorate the White House with authentic pieces ensued, Lafayette Square's appearance was conserved, entertaining began to feature people from the world of fine arts, the Rose Garden was redesigned, and the clothes she wore became even more magnificent. A great deal of the sense of Camelot certainly came from Ms. Kennedy.

I was disappointed in the book. For someone who had such a wide and important influence on America, the book barely seemed to scratch the surface. It is almost as though a decision had been made to create a book about her dresses on state occasions, and to mention and show all of the other influences she had as little as possible.

This book minimally and partially captures the impact she had on our national consciousness. The best essay is found in the foreword by Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. who provides a good overview of the influence of Ms. Kennedy (as described above) and her husband, the president, more broadly on the arts (including efforts that helped lead to the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and providing a temple from Egypt to the Metropolitan Museum in New York). Most of the book is visually devoted to her clothing during state occasions, with notes about those who created the clothes. A typical section has color photographs of the clothing on mannequins, Ms. Kennedy wearing the clothes at an event, and a black-and-white image of how she appeared in the context of the whole event.

The clothing captures what was called at the time, the Jackie look. Most of the dresses are by Oleg Cassini, Givenchy, Chez Ninon, and Gustave Tassell. There are also lots of examples of her hats (often pillboxes by Halston). The outfits are usually as simple and conservative as possible in solid colors, made special by perhaps one elegant bow or sash. Unfortunately, these sections have little material about Ms. Kennedy's views on these apparel, designs for the clothing, or thoughts about how to coordinate them with shoes and accessories.

What was most impressive to me was the success with which she selected outfits that fit in with the nations she was visiting. In France, the elegance of Givenchy enveloped her. In India, bright pastel shades made her look like part of the jungle flora. I'm sure the host nations were delighted to see their specialness magnified in her efforts to be an attractively dressed guest.

But these clothes are unremarkable without Ms. Kennedy. Like a well-known fashion model, she enhanced the clothes enormously with her youth, vitality, personality, and trim figure. So, for me, the book's real value was in seeing the many photographs of Ms. Kennedy. I especially liked the candid photographs, either talking with guests or playing with her children.

How can we recapture a sense of uniquely American style and good taste in ways that will bring approval?

What are the ways that the president and first spouse should set a good example for the rest of us?

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