Ann Lowe, the designer behind the iconic gown, recreated the timeless piece in just five days.
Published on September 11, 2025 11:51AM
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Key Takeaways
- A week before Jackie Kennedy's wedding to JFK, her dress was ruined after designer Ann Lowe's workroom was flooded.
- Lowe and her team recreated the gown in just five days, but they never told Jackie about the incident.
- The unfortunate mishap resulted in Lowe losing thousands of dollars on the project.
When Jackie Kennedy married John F. Kennedy on September 12, 1953, in Newport, Rhode Island, eager fans of the couple dubbed the celebration "the American royal wedding." The then-senator and the socialite said "I do" in front of 600 guests, including a number of diplomats, politicians, and high-profile members of society. Yet, in addition to those seated inside St. Mary's Church, thousands gathered outside of the ceremony site to catch a glimpse of the newlyweds. The brides's gown was one of the most anticipated elements of the big day.
The dress worn by Jackie, an ivory tissue-silk ensemble with a portrait neckline and bouffant skirt created by Ann Lowe, spurred many bridal trends in the years to come. However, while absolutely gorgeous, the piece was not the designer's original creation for the former journalist.
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Just a week before the couple's nuptials, Lowe's workroom flooded, resulting in the destruction of Jackie's original wedding gown, which the designer had been working on for eight weeks, as well as nine of the bridesmaid dresses, according to the National Museum of American History. However, Lowe was unwilling to let the unexpected event ruin the socialite's look for her big day. She and her team quickly remade each of the pieces in just five days. The designer ultimately decided not to tell the bride and her family what had happened. While her anticipated profit for the work was $700 (equivalent to $8,430 today), she ended up losing $2,200 on the project (equivalent to $26,496 today) as a result of the accident.
On the big day, Lowe delivered the dresses to Newport herself. When she arrived at the door of the residence, though, the staff wouldn't let her enter on account of her race, ordering her to use the back door instead. The designer refused, reportedly telling them "I'll take the dresses back" if she was not allowed to enter through the front door. Lowe ultimately didn't receive credit for the famous gown at the time of the couple's nuptials, and, in the years after the celebration, Jackie simply said "a colored dressmaker did it" when asked who had created the ensemble.
Even with many high-profile clients, Lowe faced financial difficulties with her business, as her pieces were priced lower than those of her competitors. Ultimately, this dynamic put in her debt to loved ones, vendors, and even the IRS. In 1962, she declared bankruptcy. According to the National Museum of American History, someone paid off the designer's IRS debt, which allowed her to continue her work. Many think that the anonymous benefactor was Jackie Kennedy, who was then living in the White House as the first lady.
