By Mecca Pryor ·Updated March 5, 2026 < /> Getting your Trinity Audio player ready… Style Files offers an in-depth exploration of some of the most influential Black women in fashion that deserve more praise. Here, we highlight and celebrate their journeys and the legacies that have helped secure their place in the history of fashion.
Ann Lowe was the first African American to become widely recognized as a fashion designer. Best known for designing the ivory silk taffeta dress worn by Jacqueline Kennedy when she married her husband, President John F. Kennedy, in 1953, Lowe’s designs were coveted among upper-class women throughout the 1920s through the 1960s.
Today, the Kennedy family lore is a craze among younger generations, with the Hulu series Lovestory being one of the platform’s most-watched limited series. Fans are doing all they can to reference the Keneddy women in their outfits, hairtarget="_blank"> View this post on Instagram
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Born Into DressmakingAnn Lowe was born around 1898 in Clayton, Alabama, into a family where dressmaking was both a craft and a livelihood. Her mother, Janie Cole Lowe, and grandmother, Georgia Tompkins, were highly skilled seamstresses who created gowns for wealthy white families throughout the state.
From an early age, Lowe was immersed in the art of sewing. By just five years old, she was learning the basics of the trade. At six, she spent her free time turning fabric scraps into small decorative flowers. By the age of ten, she was already creating her own dress patterns—an early sign of the design talent that would later define her career.
Tragedy struck in 1914 when Lowe’s mother unexpectedly passed away while working on four gowns for a New Year’s Eve ball. At only 16 years old, Lowe stepped in and completed the dresses herself. The moment not only honored her mother’s legacy but also established Lowe as a remarkably skilled young dressmaker in her community.
A Chance Encounter Changes EverythingA chance meeting in 1916 would alter Lowe’sdecoding="async" src="https://media.essence.com/vxcjywbwpa/uploads/2026/03/GettyImages-1326281157-scaled.jpg" alt="All About The Black Woman Who Designed Jackie Kennedy’s Wedding Dress" width="400" height="620" />A cream silk faille dress with embroidered floral appliqué decorations designed by Ann Lowe. The dress has a bodice with cap sleeves, a scoop neck front, and a deep scoop neck back. Shaping of the bodice and waist is created with princess seams, but there is no waistline seam. The skirt is shaped round and very full, with some additional fullness at the hips. The dress is decorated throughout with machine-embroidered cream and pink flowers with green leaves. The embroidery is stitched to the dress at the neckline, the center back seam to the back waist of the bodice, and in six large sprays to the skirt at the front left, proper left, back left, back right, proper right, and front right. Two lengths of cream silk faille are pleated and attached at back waist to create streamers that reach to the hemline of the skirt. The streamers are decorated with small machine embroidered pink flowers that are basted by hand to the fabric. The dress closes with a zipper running from the top of the center back bodice to center back below the waist. Artist Ann Lowe. (Photo by Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty Images) Fashion School in Segregated New York
In April 1917, Lowe moved to New York after spotting an advertisement in a fashion magazine for the S.T. Taylor Design School. Despite being one of the most talented students in the program, the school’s director segregated her into a separate classroom because she was Black.
Ironically, many of the same classmates who refused to share a room with her still relied on her designs as examples and references. Lowe’s talent was undeniable, and she completed the program in half the expected time.
After graduating, she worked briefly in a Manhattan dress shop before returning to Tampa, where demand for her gowns quickly grew.
Building Her First BoutiqueBack in Florida, Lowe opened her own shop, Annie Cohen’s (often referred to as Annie Cone) Boutique, where she designed cotillion dresses, debutante gowns, and formalwear for Tampa’s elite. As her business expanded, Lowe hired and trained 18 seamstresses, establishing herself as one of the region’s most sought-after designers.
Her reputation for exquisite craftsmanship and intricate detailing continued to grow.
Establishing a Fashion Empire in New YorkAfter nearly a decade of success in Tampa, Lowe returned to New York to expand her clientele among high society.
Over the years, she opened several boutiques, including: Ann Lowe, Inc. at 667 Madison Avenue in the late 1940s, Ann Lowe Gowns at 973 Lexington Avenue in 1955, A.F. Chantilly Inc. at 558 Madison Avenue in 1965, and Ann Lowe Originals on Madison Avenue in 1968.
These salons catered to some of America’s wealthiest women until Lowe retired in 1972.
Designing for Hollywood and High SocietyLowe’s designs were worn by some of the most prominent women of her era. She famously created the gown worn by actress Olivia de Havilland when she accepted the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in To Each His Own. The gown featured Lowe’s signature floral details, including delicate hand-painted embellishments.
Beyond designing, Lowe also traveled frequently to Paris to attend fashion shows as a reporter for The New York Age, one of the leading Black publications of the time.
The Wedding Dress That Made HistoryIn 1953, Lowe received one of the most important commissions of her career: designing the bridal gown and bridesmaids’ dresses for the wedding of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and John F. Kennedy.
The opportunity came through Jackie’s mother, Janet Auchincloss, who had previously worked with Lowe and trusted her craftsmanship.
The gown became one of Lowe’s most celebrated creations. The off-the-shoulder dress featured cap sleeves, a dramatic portrait neckline, and a voluminous skirt crafted from more than 50 yards of silk taffeta. Lowe’s signature lace manipulation and intricate floral detailing added dimension, while concentric pleats created a layered, sculptural effect.
Despite the dress becoming iconic, Lowe’s name was not publicly credited for years. She eventually confirmed her role in a 1964 interview with journalist Mike Douglas for The Saturday Evening Post.
Bridal portrait of Jacqueline Lee Bouvier (1929 – 1994) shows her in an Anne Lowe-designed wedding dress, a bouquet of flowers in her hands, New York, New York, 1953. (Photo by Bachrach/Getty Images) A Legacy Finally RecognizedToday, Ann Lowe is widely recognized as one of the most important figures in American fashion history. As the first widely known African American fashion designer to dress the nation’s elite, she paved the way for generations of Black designers to follow.
Her legacy is not only defined by the gowns she created, but by the barriers she overcame—and the artistry that made her one of the greatest dressmakers of her time.
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