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Oh, Jackie O!Chicago Field Museum Explores CamelotBy Robin O’Grady
To the cynical, it might seem like a frivolous fashion show. But once you round the corner into the Chicago Field Museum’s Jacqueline Kennedy exhibit area, there is a hushed reverence amid the delicate curiosity. Onlookers politely posture around each display, read the historical synopsis (or listen to their headsets), then move ahead quietly, allowing the next cluster to edge-in closer. There’s no denying it. We’re thirsty for Jackie O. Who knew fashion was so politically significant? Who knew Jacqueline Kennedy so brilliantly understood its impact on the world? Her choice of colors, textures and styling were no accident, the exhibit reveals. Multimedia presentations throughout the meandering galleries offer an insight into the private psychology of creating a public image. One of Jackie’s favorite American designers, Oleg Cassini, recounts planning for the 1961 inauguration ceremony. “I knew all the other political wives would be wearing big fur coats…which, in my mind, made them look like a bunch of bears.”
Other vignettes offer a glimpse of Jackie behind the facade. How a fun-loving escapade during a summit trip helped win over the heart of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. How her fashion sense and multilingual abilities enamored the citizens of France. How she built international goodwill by wearing vibrant, ethnic clothing during her visits to India Pakistan and Mexico. What makes this exhibit so much more than a haute couture adventure are the personal items intertwined throughout the tour. Jackie’s jottings, notes and addendums made on travel itineraries, invitation lists, and social schedules are intriguing. “So and so shouldn’t sit next to so and so,” she writes in the margins of a guest list with an insightful explanation.
There was something comforting about seeing these personal artifacts preserved. In a country where we so easily discard the past, it was reassuring to see our own “royal antiquities” so elegantly displayed. Glad the stuff didn’t end up in some dusty resale shop, with the history and mystery of their journey never told. Obviously I wasn’t alone in trying to unveil the mystique of this iconic first lady. When the first tour opened at 10 a.m., a substantial crowd was already in place to buy tickets. Three hours later, the line snaked out the front door and down the canopy-covered steps. Whoa, glad I came early. It gave me a chance to ingest some serious caffeine and sugar at the museum’s café as I waited for my assigned tour-time. The exhibit exit spills into a stylish boutique that features plenty of gift items. Those who still hunger for a little piece of Jackie O (or JFK for that matter) will find books, DVDs, note cards, tee shirts, magnets, and let’s not forget about those unforgettable pearls—another Madame Kennedy signature item. Our fascination with Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy has spanned generations. What other first lady’s clothes and memorabilia would I pay $25 to see? I asked myself, mentally scanning the options. Zero. Zippo. Nada. Oh, Jackie O! You had the sizzle. No wonder they called your reign Camelot. About the Exhibit: Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years runs through May 8, 2005, at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. While men may appreciate the tour, it’s definitely a fun gal-pal outing. Ticket Information: http://www.fieldmuseum.org/jkennedy/ or phone: 312-922-9410 Photographs: Permission to reproduce images granted by the Field Museum and JFK Library Foundation© |
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What’s
a nice politically-active feminist like me doing at a first lady’s fashion
exhibit? Hey, she was a democrat, I remind myself, forking over an extra
five bucks to get the audio-tour head set. 
Collectively,
the pair decided to position the first lady away from the old political
vanguard. They wanted her debut ensemble to reflect the vigor and ideals of
a new administration. On inauguration day—amid a flurry of mink-adorned
women—Jackie glowed in an elegant fawn coat and matching pillbox hat.
The
final portion of the exhibit offers an expansive look at the first lady’s
White House renovation project. Fund-raising letters and thank-you notes are
on display, as are personal renderings of planned color schemes, furniture
acquisitions and wall décor.