Black History Feature: Ann Lowe

In honor of February being Black History Month, I will post some Black History features this month.

Ann Lowe, born in 1898 in Clayton, Alabama. She designed the infamous wedding dress worn by Jacqueline Bouvier when she married John F. Kennedy.


Jacqueline Kennedy's wedding dress, an Ann Lowe original

Ms. Lowe was ahead of her time and because she was black, she was not embraced by the fashion world for some time. She was a perfectionist who cared about her craft more than monetary gain.

She designed and sewed for several salons and boutiques. Her name was NOT permitted to be sewn on the labels of any of her creations. Despite designing Jacqueline Bouvier's wedding dress, Ms. Lowe's name was not mentioned in the press. In addition to designing for the future first lady, Ms. Lowe designed for the toast of New York society. Do the names Biddles, Auchinclosses, DuPont, and Rockefeller ring any bells? Old. Money. Her designs were in very high demand but no one knew who she really was. During those times no one would admit to wearing clothes designed by a black woman!

You can learn more about Ann Lowe in The Threads of Time. Many people have never even heard of her which I think is wrong for so many reasons. Her legacy needs to be kept alive!