Product Description

From the author of the bestselling Audrey Style

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis was known by many names, but to us, she is Jackie. And whether she liked it or not, she was, and still is, the most famous woman in the world.

"No one else looked like her, spoke like her, wrote like her, or was so original in the way she did things," said her brother-in-law Senator Edward Kennedy. Her style -- what made her Jackie -- has been emulated, imitated, even occasionally reviled, but never fully examined. For the first time, this biography details the singular life that made Jackie an icon and contributed so greatly to her enduring appeal. Drawing on original interviews with Valentino, Hubert de Givenchy, Manolo Blahnik, and Oleg Cassini, as well as close friends C. Z. Guest, George Plimpton, and John Loring, and family members such as Joan Kennedy, Hugh D. Auchincloss, and John Davis, this compelling volume brings to life the private Jackie her family and friends loved.

With one hundred rare color and black-and-white photographs and sketches, and never-before-published personal letters, memos, and essays, Jackie Style re-creates not only Jackie's extraordinary history -- fashion being just one part of it -- but the world she came from, the White House she revived, the husband and children she adored, the causes she supported, and, finally, the life she chose to lead.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #242056 in Books
• Published on: 2001-05-01
• Released on: 2001-04-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

Review
'Jackie's influence over fashion has transcended time... Her sense of elegance inspires me to this day' - Valentino

About the Author
Pamela Clarke Keogh is the author of Audrey Style, the worldwide bestselling photographic biography of Audrey Hepburn. She was born in Baumbolder, Germany, and raised on the North Shore of Long Island, not far from where Sabrina was filmed. Educated at Vassar College, she worked as a journalist, television producer, and screenwriter. She currently lives in New York City.

Customer Reviews

Jackie Style lush but lacking.
I was attracted to this book by its feel and the promise of learning more about that certain "something" Jackie radiates. After mentally debating the price, my lust for more Jackie style information won out and I purchased it. It is a substantial book in many ways but weak in others. The beginning of the book is awkward as the author describes what Jackie was thinking after her husband won the Presidency. How could the author know? The authors assumptions immediately made me question the rest of the books authenticity. As I read through the book however, the author changed tactics and began to describe the first lady using research that was factually supported. She discusses Jackie's upbringing, her role as young woman, and beyond. Though most of the information has been written about before, several aspects were elaborated on to add a new twist and make them more interesting. For example, I had read many times about Jackie winning Vogue magazines Prix de Paris competition, but never in the detail Keough gives. There are a number of photographs in the book but unfortunatly the way they are presented lacks impact. Many are black and white, others small for the page, few are new, and in general they don't have the luster that they could. For example, p.182 has a full size, black and white photograph of Jackie with flowers fully covering her face. If this is one of the never seen photographs Keough promises well I can see why. Another page is devoted to a full color photo of Ari Onasis. Since the full color photos of Jackie are few why not make it one of her? Pamela Keoughs previous book Audrey Style had a much better selection of pictures that made an impression! There are also some line sketches of Jackie in a pillbox. The sketch looks more like Anjelica Houston. The information in the book is broad. The author has obviously done alot of research and she relays the information with her fresh perspective. But many readers will wish for more information about Jackie's STYLE not her life history. For those just beginning to read about Jackie this will be a good introduction but to those familiar with her and the books about her this will be a rehash and retelling.

Nice, but nothing about Jackie's fashion.
I think it's great that there are authors like Keogh around. You can tell that she really wants to portray Jackie at her best. But the problem is that this book is written in a cut and paste way, and despite what the dustcover says, there is nothing new and revealing at all. Let me explain more.

First of all, this book is called JACKIE STYLE, but it is really just a popcorn biography. Keogh claims that she has new interviews that reveal new insights about Jackie. Well, tell me, how does the designer Cynthia Rowley saying she admired how Jackie dressed reveal new insights into Jackie, the person, the first lady, and everything that Jackie was and became??????

Then, there is the claim that there is over 100 black and white, and color, photos of Jackie that have never been seen before. Not true; with the exception of 25 or less, all have been published before. And the 25 are not of Jackie, but of her friends, or a date, or a Kennedy.

This book is written well, but is just isn't about her fashion. There are good photos in the bood, and Keogh does have an inviting writing style, even if she tends to sometimes overpraise her subjects, but it is not about Jackie's style.

A LADYOF CLASS, STYLE AND ELEGANCE
If you are old enough to remember the 60's, you will remember Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. She represented to the world the ultimate in class, style and true elegance. Her grace, smile and ability to communicate with people from the less fortunate to royalty and nobility, became her legacy to the world. She did not follow in the footsteps of her husband, President John F. Kennedy, she walked equally along side of him; she opened the door and awakened the world to the independence, intelligence and individuality of woman everywhere.

Known for her "pill box hats" and haute couture fashion, she made a statement that turned heads and influenced people wherever she travelled. She was the 60's version of Princess Diana. The book includes interviews with designers, friends and family and is an inside look at the woman who captivated hearts in every corner of the world. The book takes the reader from her youth to the White House to her marriage to Onassis. During her days as the First Lady, Jackie Bouvier Kennedy rocked the world and blazed a trail that will long be remembered by women who grew up in her era.

It may be difficult for young women today to relate to a trendy woman who reached the peak of her "moment in the sun" almost forty years ago, but for those who do remember her, they will remember her class, unique style and elegance. Even in her final years of ill health, she still managed to radiate that quiet inner beauty which was her trade mark for the best part of her life.