Jacqueline Kennedy : The White House Years: Selections from the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum

These photos give a wonderful context to the clothes, and it's clear that Jackie's carriage and persona injected life into these garments--which sometimes appear markedly different from what one might deduce as each item's "personality" when simply viewing it alone. For example, a pale cream embroidered silk Givenchy evening gown looks dull and somewhat dowdy when seen alone, but the accompanying photograph of Jackie wearing it while cuddling a newborn John Kennedy Jr. transforms the dress into something feminine and timeless. Or a very simple, innocently pretty pink shantung evening gown by Guy Douvier becomes arrestingly sexy when she wears it with nothing but white gloves and a Palm Beach tan. Contextualizing and interpreting Kennedy's style is an important part of this book. Featured are essays on Jackie and her effect on the world of style by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., Kennedy friend Rachel Lambert Mellon, and the book's author and Vogue editor at large, Hamish Bowles. Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years accompanies an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. --Marisa Lencioni, Amazon.co.uk

Product Description
An in-depth look at the clothes and the era demonstrates how Jacqueline Kennedy became the beacon of style whose legacy is still with us today. This book presents 80 original gowns, suits, dresses, and accessories from the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum against a backdrop of personal notes, artifacts, and anecdotes. Combining original and new photography, the volume presents images of the First Lady that have rarely been seen. This unique perspective reveals the impact Jacqueline Kennedy had on the world, on Americas vision of itself, and on the role played by the First Lady in the life of the nation.