Jackie: The Clothes of Camelot [Hardcover]

Jay Mulvaney (Author), Dominick Dunne (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 18, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0312281978 | ISBN-13: 978-0312281977 | Edition: 1st

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis is the ultimate American fashion icon. Jay Mulvaney, author of Kennedy Weddings, celebrates her unique style in this lavishly illustrated book.

JACKIE: The Clothes of Camelot is a richly illustrated history of those magical years when the Kennedys captivated a nation and the world. Her glamour was electric, her style imaginative, and the effect was brilliant. Jacqueline Kennedy's fashions from the White House years, over two hundred outfits, are illustrated with three hundred photographs, in both black and white and color, many previously unpublished or rarely seen. Also included are photographs of jewelry and accessories as well as memorabilia, all exploring the continuing impact of Jackie's fashion sensibility on our culture.

The range of illustrations and text is broad, including:

Early Fashion Influences
The Inauguration Ensembles
Gowns for State Events
The Wardrobe for State Visits Abroad
Private Living and Casual Wear
French Designers: Haute Couture in the White House
November 1963
Mrs. Onassis and the Post-Camelot Years

JACKIE: The Clothes of Camelot is a striking portrait of an unforgettable fashion legend.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jay Mulvaney is the author of Kennedy Weddings: A Family Album. He was executive producer of Kennedy Weddings, a Weddings of a Lifetime special for Lifetime TV. A two-time Emmy Award winning writer and producer, his career has included stints as an executive at Nickelodeon, CBS, VH1 and Discovery, but his first job was as an office boy during Senator Edward Kennedy's 1970 reelection campaign.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (May 18, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312281978
• ISBN-13: 978-0312281977
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #963,809 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #71 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( O ) > Onassis, Jacqueline Kennedy

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A GLORIOUS look at the fashion life of a legend..., May 7, 2001

By 

Judy Pater (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jackie: The Clothes of Camelot (Hardcover)

JACKIE THE CLOTHES OF CAMELOT is a work of perfection from the very first page (when you open the book there are some gorgeous "extra" photos of Jackie to the very last page where there's a very touching picture of Jackie taken a few days before her death...looking peaceful, serene and beautiful.

I've read all three of the books that have recently come out on this subject and, while they all are good, this one is the BEST BY FAR. Jacqueline Kennedy the White House Years, the official catalogue, is just that, a catalogue, and not a book and it doesn't include MOST of the clothes that Jackie wore during her time in the White House. What's even more confusing is that the book doesn't include all of the interesting documentation about her work in the White House that is included in the exhibit at the Met. Why is that I wonder? And Jackie Style is a stylish book, but a little to flip for my taste and it barely skims the surface of Jackie's extraordinary life and has a sparse set of photographs, although some of them are rarely seen, it's because they frankly aren't that good...

But this book is wonderful...dozens and dozens of wonderful photographs, with vivid color and including her entire White House years, a look at her early years and the fashion influences that helped shape her style. It also includes a section on her post-Camelot years where we can see Jackie age so gracefully...

Then there are the stories of her life, and her remarkable contributions to American culture and history. These stories are so interesting, written with wit, insight and a lot of inside information.

This book is a WINNER!

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars JACKIE'S STORY TOLD THROUGH HER CLOTHES - FANTASTIC, May 22, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Jackie: The Clothes of Camelot (Hardcover)

If you thought that you'd seen or heard everything you could imagine about Jackie Kennedy Onassis, think again...JACKIE THE CLOTHES OF CAMELOT revisits the American Icon with a fresh persepective, a loving eye, and a witty attitude that pays homage to the most intriguing of female residents of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

In addition to her gowns and dress up clothes, there's a chapter on the behind the scenes Jackie, in jeans, Pucci prints and cotton sundresses....even dressed down she was spectacular. The stories that go along with the photographs are alternately funny, bitchy in a nice way and illuminating about some of Jackie's real achievements - saving historic buildings, restoring and redecorating the White House, etc.

It's a great book, and at a price that's so affordable, it will make a great gift to those special people on my list...

Read this book, you'll enjoy it!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars By far the BEST of these Jackie clothes books..., May 24, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Jackie: The Clothes of Camelot (Hardcover)

There have been a spate of Jackie wardrobe books out lately, each one tying into this big exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum, but I found this one the most delightful and the most thorough.

Some may prefer the more technical aspect of the Met's catalogue, but for me it was too insider...I don't CARE who stiched the hems of her dresses...I much more interested in what she was doing while she wore them, who she invited that night for dinner, how much these fantastic clothes cost poor JFK, how he ranted and railed about it, and all of these "behind the scenes" details that make it seem as you were her ladies maid, right there in the dressing room as she chose the blue chiffon over the mauve silk gazar.

A delightful book, truly wonderful, very witty and full of charm. Treat yourself to this lovely book.