When Jacqueline Lee Bouvier and John F. Kennedy tied the knot on September 12, 1953, in Newport, Rhode Island, it was the society event of the season. From the 900-person reception to the couple receiving a personalized blessing from Pope Pius XII, Lisa Larsen, a photographer from Life, declared the wedding to be “the most impressive the old society stronghold had seen in 30 years.” The portrait-neckline gown Jackie donned for the occasion, designed by Ann Lowe, made waves, inspiring bridal fashion in the years to come. 

Jackie’s second wedding to Aristotle Onassis five years after the assassination of her first husband was a much smaller affair. It also came as a surprise to the public: Jackie’s mother, Janet Auchincloss, announced her daughter’s plans to wed for the second time within just a week of the big day. On October 20, 1968, Jackie married the Greek shipping tycoon, who was 23 years her senior, in an intimate ceremony on the island of Skorpios. Not only was the celebration a stark departure from her first nuptials—but so was the dress. For her first wedding gown, Jackie reportedly didn’t have a say in what she would wear. While she dreamed of a “simpler, sleeker design,” her father-in-law reportedly dismissed her wishes, allegedly pushing for the silk-taffeta gown she ultimately wore for the nuptials. Yet this time around, Jackie was empowered to choose her own bridal look, settling on a two-piece Valentino ensemble. 

The Details of the Dress

The knee-length silk crepe Valentino dress from the "Sfilata Bianca" collection featured a high-neck lace and chiffon overlay and a pleated skirt, while her long bishop sleeves were accentuated with white and gold button details at the cuff. The former first lady accessorized her outfit by tying a white ribbon through her hair, a now-iconic look that inspired similar 1960s hairstyles. 

Recently, the dress was a part of Bohmans’ “Classic Luxury: Style Icons” online sale, which also featured outfits worn by Jackie’s son, John F. Kennedy Jr., before his death in 1999. Jackie’s dress sold for $24,230, three times its pre-sale estimate. “Jacqueline Kennedy's 1968 couture ensemble is not only an important piece of fashion history marking the emergence of one of the most stylish women in the world - Jackie O - but it also showcases an important design in maison Valentino's history,” Marissa Speer, the head of sale for handbags and fashion at Bonhams, said in a press release. “The eventual selling price of the dress of US $24,320 was a testament to the rarity of the piece."

At the time of her nuptials to Aristotle, some speculated that Jackie opted for a more understated look out of respect for her first husband, who was assassinated just five years earlier. However, others hypothesized that Jackie chose her ensemble as a representation of her new adventure, serving as a bookmark between her time as first lady and her new life as a socialite. 

The Public Response to the Dress

Even though her second wedding transformed her into the iconic “Jackie O,” the public struggled with the former first lady’s decision to tie the knot with the shipping tycoon. “To most Americans as well, Jackie’s marriage symbolized her goodbye to an era and a hero,” read a 1968 Time cover story on the topic. “‘It’s the end of Camelot,’ was a common reaction. Many were disturbed that she was marrying out of her church and culture.” 

When it came to dress itself, she received a more mixed reaction from the public. Some admired the Valentino design for its simple—yet modern—aesthetic and loved that the dress marked a shift from her traditional bridal look in 1953, while others expected her to wear a more dramatic design. Ultimately, the ensemble soon cemented its place in fashion history alongside her Ann Lowe gown, asserting Jackie's position as a style icon.