Jacqueline Kennedy was still wearing the blood-stained watermelon pink suit when she got to the White House in the early morning hours after her husband was assassinated. She had refused to take it off at Parkland Hospital in Dallas or on the flight back to Washington DC with the body of her husband. Once at the White House, her personal maid put the suit in a bag so Mrs. Kennedy wouldn’t have to look at it. In the words of President John F. Kennedy, she looked “smashing” in the suit, which may be why he asked her to wear the now-famous outfit to Dallas on November 22, 1963. The suit looked like a Coco Chanel, but was actually a knockoff. The First Lady wore it at least six times before that fateful day. The suit was never cleaned after the assassination. Today, it's in the National Archives building in Maryland. The public hasn’t seen the suit since the assassination, and won’t for another 90 years. That’s because in 2003, nine years after her mother’s death, Caroline Kennedy gave the suit as a gift to the people of the United States with the understanding that it would not be put on display until 2103. Even then, the Kennedy family will have to be consulted before any attempt is made to display it, as they want to avoid sensationalizing the horrible act. Also hidden from view in the new archives building is the blue blouse Jackie Kennedy wore beneath the pink suit, her stockings, blue shoes and blue purse. What they don’t have is the First Lady’s iconic pink pillbox hat. The hat apparently went to the Secret Service and they turned it over to Mrs. Kennedy’s private secretary. From there, it disappeared and has never been seen since.
Why Jackie Kennedy’s Pink Suit is Locked Away From View
Jacqueline Kennedy was still wearing the blood-stained watermelon pink suit when she got to the White House in the early morning hours after her husband was assassinated. She had refused to take it off at Parkland Hospital in Dallas or on the flight back to Washington DC with the body of her husband. Once at the White House, her personal maid put the suit in a bag so Mrs. Kennedy wouldn’t have to look at it. In the words of President John F. Kennedy, she looked “smashing” in the suit, which may be why he asked her to wear the now-famous outfit to Dallas on November 22, 1963. The suit looked like a Coco Chanel, but was actually a knockoff. The First Lady wore it at least six times before that fateful day. The suit was never cleaned after the assassination. Today, it's in the National Archives building in Maryland. The public hasn’t seen the suit since the assassination, and won’t for another 90 years. That’s because in 2003, nine years after her mother’s death, Caroline Kennedy gave the suit as a gift to the people of the United States with the understanding that it would not be put on display until 2103. Even then, the Kennedy family will have to be consulted before any attempt is made to display it, as they want to avoid sensationalizing the horrible act. Also hidden from view in the new archives building is the blue blouse Jackie Kennedy wore beneath the pink suit, her stockings, blue shoes and blue purse. What they don’t have is the First Lady’s iconic pink pillbox hat. The hat apparently went to the Secret Service and they turned it over to Mrs. Kennedy’s private secretary. From there, it disappeared and has never been seen since.