Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis would have celebrated her 84th birthday today, and it goes without saying that the inimitable Jackie O. lives on in spirit as an enduring American fashion icon.
Jackie personified chic, whether she was dressed up in a trim little boucle suit, or dressed down in a sailor-stripe top and a pair of the Capri pants she made fashionable. And one of her very favorite designers was Valentino.
The relationship between Mr. Valentino and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis dated back to 1964. After leaving the White House, Jackie moved back to New York and that September Mr. Valentino arrived in the city to present a collection of his clothes. Jackie ordered six haute couture dresses and soon after began wearing Valentino almost exclusively, for several years. In 1968, the former First Lady donned Valentino when she wed her second husband, Aristotle Onassis, and thus became “Jackie O.”
