Rating: 
Summary: Well, if you want to know who SEWED her clothes.....
Review: ...then this is the book for you. Another reviewer was right, this is a fashion text book, for fashion students and design students, but it's a lot of money to spend on a text book and it is written in a highly technical style and is not an easy, fun or elegant book to read. And I guess it's not really a book, it's a museum catalogue. Fine for some people, or some fashion school libraries, but not for me...a purchase "faux-pas".
Rating: 
Summary: An unexpected pleasure
Review: After reading some of the reviews for this book stating it was dull and offered nothing of particular interest except alot of talk about A line dresses and cuts on the bias, I was apprehensive about wasting so much money on it.However having bought nearly every book published on Mrs Onassis I went ahead and ordered it anyway.Upon opening it I was pleasantly surprised. It was well set out,interesting and with many fine photos I had not seen, to illustrate the somewhat dry text.But the most facinating aspect of this book is to actually see what these dresses looked like in colour....after seeing numerous black and white photos of the Kennedy reception at the Elysee Palace and to hear the pink straw dress worn by Mrs kennedy described, it was mesmerizing to actually see it...no wonder she was described as radiant....and the most amazing thing is that Mrs kennedy dresses were sometimes even more interesting when viewed from the back...the intricate drapery and patterns.The photo of her in a backless sundress on the Italian Riveria is a revelation as it was worn in 1962 and was so ahead of its time...this book shows that Jacqueline kennedy had true style and is worthy of the mantle of fashion icon even though she would probably want to be remembered for her more substancial contributions.A very worthwhile addition to any devotee's library
Rating: 
Summary: MOST EXCELLENT
Review: Caution: If you like looking at lots of photographs of early 1960s designer dresses, you will probably like this book. Otherwise, this is probably not the right book for you. During the presidential election of 1960, Ms. Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy made an immense impression on American society. At 31, she was a dramatic contrast with the vice president's wife, Ms. Patricia Nixon, and recent first ladies (Ms. Mame Eisenhower, Ms. Bess Truman, and Ms. Eleanor Roosevelt). She was much younger than these women, was pregnant with her son, John, and seemed like someone who came from another world. Ms. Kennedy was highly cultured, interested in the fine arts, attractive in a way that showed up well in photographs and on television, and wore gorgeous clothes of the sort usually only seen in the best fashion magazines. Once in the White House, her differences from other first ladies became more apparent. A major effort to redecorate the White House with authentic pieces ensued, Lafayette Square's appearance was conserved, entertaining began to feature people from the world of fine arts, the Rose Garden was redesigned, and the clothes she wore became even more magnificent. A great deal of the sense of Camelot certainly came from Ms. Kennedy. I was disappointed in the book. For someone who had such a wide and important influence on America, the book barely seemed to scratch the surface. It is almost as though a decision had been made to create a book about her dresses on state occasions, and to mention and show all of the other influences she had as little as possible. This book minimally and partially captures the impact she had on our national consciousness. The best essay is found in the foreword by Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. who provides a good overview of the influence of Ms. Kennedy (as described above) and her husband, the president, more broadly on the arts (including efforts that helped lead to the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and providing a temple from Egypt to the Metropolitan Museum in New York). Most of the book is visually devoted to her clothing during state occasions, with notes about those who created the clothes. A typical section has color photographs of the clothing on mannequins, Ms. Kennedy wearing the clothes at an event, and a black-and-white image of how she appeared in the context of the whole event. The clothing captures what was called at the time, the Jackie look. Most of the dresses are by Oleg Cassini, Givenchy, Chez Ninon, and Gustave Tassell. There are also lots of examples of her hats (often pillboxes by Halston). The outfits are usually as simple and conservative as possible in solid colors, made special by perhaps one elegant bow or sash. Unfortunately, these sections have little material about Ms. Kennedy's views on these apparel, designs for the clothing, or thoughts about how to coordinate them with shoes and accessories. What was most impressive to me was the success with which she selected outfits that fit in with the nations she was visiting. In France, the elegance of Givenchy enveloped her. In India, bright pastel shades made her look like part of the jungle flora. I'm sure the host nations were delighted to see their specialness magnified in her efforts to be an attractively dressed guest. But these clothes are unremarkable without Ms. Kennedy. Like a well-known fashion model, she enhanced the clothes enormously with her youth, vitality, personality, and trim figure. So, for me, the book's real value was in seeing the many photographs of Ms. Kennedy. I especially liked the candid photographs, either talking with guests or playing with her children. How can we recapture a sense of uniquely American style and good taste in ways that will bring approval? What are the ways that the president and first spouse should set a good example for the rest of us?
Rating: 
Summary: Quality, Youth, Beauty, Style and Culture in the White House
Review: Caution: If you like looking at lots of photographs of early 1960s designer dresses, you will probably like this book. Otherwise, this is probably not the right book for you.
During the presidential election of 1960, Ms. Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy made an immense impression on American society. At 31, she was a dramatic contrast with the vice president's wife, Ms. Patricia Nixon, and recent first ladies (Ms. Mame Eisenhower, Ms. Bess Truman, and Ms. Eleanor Roosevelt). She was much younger than these women, was pregnant with her son, John, and seemed like someone who came from another world. Ms. Kennedy was highly cultured, interested in the fine arts, attractive in a way that showed up well in photographs and on television, and wore gorgeous clothes of the sort usually only seen in the best fashion magazines. Once in the White House, her differences from other first ladies became more apparent. A major effort to redecorate the White House with authentic pieces ensued, Lafayette Square's appearance was conserved, entertaining began to feature people from the world of fine arts, the Rose Garden was redesigned, and the clothes she wore became even more magnificent. A great deal of the sense of Camelot certainly came from Ms. Kennedy. I was disappointed in the book. For someone who had such a wide and important influence on America, the book barely seemed to scratch the surface. It is almost as though a decision had been made to create a book about her dresses on state occasions, and to mention and show all of the other influences she had as little as possible. This book minimally and partially captures the impact she had on our national consciousness. The best essay is found in the foreword by Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. who provides a good overview of the influence of Ms. Kennedy (as described above) and her husband, the president, more broadly on the arts (including efforts that helped lead to the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and providing a temple from Egypt to the Metropolitan Museum in New York). Most of the book is visually devoted to her clothing during state occasions, with notes about those who created the clothes. A typical section has color photographs of the clothing on mannequins, Ms. Kennedy wearing the clothes at an event, and a black-and-white image of how she appeared in the context of the whole event. The clothing captures what was called at the time, the Jackie look. Most of the dresses are by Oleg Cassini, Givenchy, Chez Ninon, and Gustave Tassell. There are also lots of examples of her hats (often pillboxes by Halston). The outfits are usually as simple and conservative as possible in solid colors, made special by perhaps one elegant bow or sash. Unfortunately, these sections have little material about Ms. Kennedy's views on these apparel, designs for the clothing, or thoughts about how to coordinate them with shoes and accessories. What was most impressive to me was the success with which she selected outfits that fit in with the nations she was visiting. In France, the elegance of Givenchy enveloped her. In India, bright pastel shades made her look like part of the jungle flora. I'm sure the host nations were delighted to see their specialness magnified in her efforts to be an attractively dressed guest. But these clothes are unremarkable without Ms. Kennedy. Like a well-known fashion model, she enhanced the clothes enormously with her youth, vitality, personality, and trim figure. So, for me, the book's real value was in seeing the many photographs of Ms. Kennedy. I especially liked the candid photographs, either talking with guests or playing with her children. How can we recapture a sense of uniquely American style and good taste in ways that will bring approval? What are the ways that the president and first spouse should set a good example for the rest of us?
Rating:
Summary: MOST EXCELLENT
Review: Excellent EVERYTHING!!!
A must for jackie AND caroline fans...i figure she did a lot for this and chose some GREAT photos...esp. the last one, in my humble opinion.
THE BEST PHOTOGRAPHY!!!
I LOVE IT!!! and was shocked when i actually saw it after the few not-so appreciative reviews.
TOP SHELF BOOK/TOMB.
THANKS to everyone who was behind putting this out. As my grandmother would say about such a great book, "It lifts you up." (she said that about the Sotheby's Auction catalog of JBKO's Estate.
THANKS and LOVE TO ALL!!!
Rating:
Summary: Lovely Photos but Sterile
Review: I enjoyed this book greatly for the detailed photographs of Jackie's clothes--I think it makes the perfect companion to Oleg Cassini's A Thousand Days of Magic, which has terrific sketches and period photos but not many detailed pictures. The essays are disappointing, but in my opinion the photos make it worth owning.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Addition to Fashion History
Review: I found this book to be an excellent fashion text book. Not only did I not find the pictures of JBKO's clothes on manniquins sterile, I found them to be most illuminating as to the garments' drape and design. This book was not designed to be a history of JBKO, rather it is a text on an important icon in the history of fashion. To critize it as lacking in other areas is to not understand the book's purpose. I highly recommend it to students of history and design.
Rating:
Summary: Very disappointing...
Review: I had great hopes for this book but found it very disappointing. First of all, there are some really perfect pictures of Jackie's clothes, all on mannequins and a little sterile looking. Those are nice, but the photographs of Jackie in the clothes are a little boring...I was hoping that the Kennedys would have opened up some of their archives and let us see some of their private photographs, but no go.
And then the exhibition at the Met has a wonderful collection of documents the outline Jackie's contributions in the cultural and artistic advancement of our society. These letters, plans, sketches, etc. really offer a glimpse of Jackie beyond being a clotheshorse. And yet they are not in the catalogue, NOTHING about the blue room, NOTHING about saving Eqyptian temples, NOTHING about her wardrobe planning...there's only one letter from Jackie to her hat saleslady and the whole exclusion of this fascinating material seems a little stingy to me. This is a very expensive book not to include a complete representation of the exhibit it conveys. Try Jackie Style or Jackie the Clothes of Camelot for a more comprehensive look at this First Lady of Fashion.
Rating:
Summary: Chic but too redundant
Review: I looked very forward to this book, and it is a good book to flip through--especially, if like me, you are unable to go to New York to see the exhibition that this book originated from. Because I all ready have two books on Jackie, I recognized many of the photos in the books I have on her....The book has great photos of the exhibition clothes, and pictures of Jackie in them--but Hamish Bowles was too politically correct and boring for the book to be an interesting read. Details about Jackie liking certain clothing details are repeated over and over again and she is portrayed as being a perfect, perfect, perfect person--faultless, in fact. (I believe this is because the Kennedy family was more or less in charge of the exhibition.) And constantly referring to her as Jacqueline is quite too much. Yes, that is her name--but the author uses it in such a dignified,proper way--it gets rather dull. Because it is a book from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the photos are wonderful--but the writer's redundant use of words and phases kills the uniqueness of the book, and so it is not worth fifty bucks--I won't buy it until I compare it to the other two coming out this summer (Jackie: The clothes of Camelot and Jackie Style are their names.)
Rating:
Summary: Too "Inside Fashion" for most tastes...
Review: If you want to know who sewed all of Jackie's clothes, then I guess this is the book for you... This book is much more academic and fusty than I expected it to be, the tone is serious serious serious and it's all about bust darts and seaming and inner construction and linings, etc., but it says very little about Jackie as a person, and nothing really about all the interesting things she did in the White House. Very expensive too, so, unless you're a fashion historian, try JACKIE STYLE, or even better, JACKIE'S CAMELOT CLOTHES.
| 
