Houndstooth Suit
Artifact IDMO 63.1257a-b
Object Type
Suit
Date
1959
Designer
Bob Bugnand
(Fashion designer, French, 1924-)
Place MadeFrance, Europe
Medium
wool tweed
DimensionsJacket: 19 1/4" center back; Skirt: length: 27" center back
Physical DescriptionA suit jacket and skirt in black-and-white houndstooth wool tweed with a black braided trim. A cardigan jacket with sloped shoulders is paired with an A-line skirt.
Historical NoteJacqueline Kennedy wore this suit during her husband's 1960 presidential campaign, including one of its most significant stops, West Virginia. It was in West Virginia, an overwhelmingly Protestant state, that the Catholic JFK confronted the issue of religious prejudice head-on. Kennedy later credited his primary win there as crucial to his ultimately winning the presidency.
The suit's designer, Bob Bugnand, had opened his own salon in Paris before establishing a branch in New York in 1957. Although his clients were fitted in New York, their clothes were made in his Paris salon. In this example made for Mrs. Kennedy, Bugnand was influenced by Coco Chanel's iconic postwar suit.
Additional DetailsThe suit's designer, Bob Bugnand, had opened his own salon in Paris before establishing a branch in New York in 1957. Although his clients were fitted in New York, their clothes were made in his Paris salon. In this example made for Mrs. Kennedy, Bugnand was influenced by Coco Chanel's iconic postwar suit.
Custodial History NoteItem is from the personal collection of Mrs. Kennedy. It was donated to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum by the Estate of President John F. Kennedy in 1965.
Credit LineJohn F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston, MA; Gift of the Estate of President John F. Kennedy
National Archives Catalog CollectionJohn F. Kennedy Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 1676934)
National Archives Catalog SeriesFirst Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Collection (National Archives Identifier 1676959)
Use Restriction StatusRestricted - FullyUse Restriction NotePlease contact the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation for permission to use this image. IP@jfklfoundation.org
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