You could soon own a unique piece of history.
Next month, Sotheby’s Auction House will be auctioning Jackie Kennedy’s iconic double-breasted purple coat. It was famously worn as she stood alongside her husband, John F. Kennedy, while he accepted his presidential win on the night of Nov. 8, 1960.
The coat, unlabeled, is made of wool and features a rounded collar and double-breasted button front. Its swinging silhouette was tailored for Jackie’s unusually oversized frame; at the time, she was eight months pregnant with her son, John F. Kennedy Jr.
Interestingly, the listing traces the coat’s direct provenance to “a family with long and close ties to the Kennedys.”
A press release from Sotheby’s elaborated, “The piece was shared among a close circle of Mrs. Kennedy’s friends who were also expectant mothers, passed from one to another as a cherished maternity garment… As such, it stands not only as a symbol of a historic night, but also as a quiet testament to the bonds of friendship and femininity that surrounded the future First Lady.”
The coat is just one lot in the upcoming auction. The collection, mainly handbags plus a few other items of historically significant apparel, is part of Sotheby’s inaugural Handbags & Fashion exhibition at its just-opened global headquarters in the Breuer building on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
Kennedy’s coat is predicted to fetch between $6,000-$8,000, but lots like this, with historical value and clear provenance, seldom remain within the bounds of the initial estimate. Interested parties are invited to tune in virtually on December 15 as the live bidding commences.
Though not a confirmed intention, many speculate that Mrs. Kennedy’s choice of the non-partisan shade was in support of the women’s suffragette movement, whose supporters adopted the colors purple and gold (UK suffragettes wore purple and green), though white was often the sartorial hue of choice.
Following the events of Jan. 6, 2021, before the confirmation of President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden, first lady Michelle Obama, former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, and others signaled solidarity by wearing bold purple outfits.
It was a statement of bipartisanship, a nod to the women’s suffrage movement, and a quiet tribute to first lady Jacqueline Kennedy herself.
What’s more, political wardrobes of the time tended to be more muted and dull. According to the auction listing, “The vivid violet hue—a daring choice amid the neutral tones typical of political wardrobes — lent a sense of optimism and individuality.”
It was recently announced that Jackie and JFK’s grandson, Jack Schlossberg, 32, is throwing his hat into the political arena, following in the patriotic footsteps of generations of Kennedys. He is running for a seat in New York’s 12th Congressional District with the hopes of defeating the growing MAGA movement.
Sadly, his foray into the family business comes at a devastating time for the family — his sister, Tatiana, 35, just announced that she is battling terminal leukemia.
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