Customer Reviews

Jackie: The Clothes of Camelot

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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!

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!

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.

Jay Mulvaney has worked magic in his tribute to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. This book, with a huge number of never before seen photos, is like an illustrated history of the Camelot era...and the book brings the romance, hope and promise of those times back to life, in black and white and vivid color.

More than the pictures though, are the words...choice little stories that recount the history behind Jackie's wonderful work in the White House...each "photo caption" (it seems unfair to call them that, they're so much more) is a little vignette that illustrates in words what the photographs show us.

Jackie did so much in such a short period of time, and this book captures her magical essence...

Truly a MUST HAVE for anyone interested in Jackie, in fashion, in history, in style and beauty.

This book is WONDERFUL, a really in depth look at the "look" of Camelot and it's queen, Jacqueline Kennedy. An impressive array of photographs, so many of them I've never seen before, illustrating many different aspects of the former First Lady's tenure in the White House...

Plus, there are a lot of interesting stories about the clothes, where they came from, why she chose them and what was happening when she wore them. It's like you are transported back to those magic days and given an insider's pass to all the backstage stories.

It's a beautiful book, one I am proud to own, and one affordable enough for me to give as a gift too (my mother, a real Jackie fan, will LOVE it!).

Reading this book, Jackie the clothes of Camelot, is, to quote from Forrest Gump, like opening a box of chocolates - you never know what you're going to get. But like opening a box of Godiva or some other fancy brand, each sample is a total delight.

The format of this book, like a big photo album organized by different chapters (gowns, off-duty clothes, inauguration costumes, etc.) enables the reader to move back and forth over those wonderful days when Jackie captivated America with her charm, intelligence and beauty. These photographs are wonderful, so many in vivid color, and the stories that go along with them are smart, witty and interesting.

I especially loved the wit of Jacquline Kennedy, who once told a reporter who asked her how many suitcases she was taking on a trip that "that as indiscreet as to ask a lady her age" or when she told her press secretary to say that all of her gorgeous clothes came from the second hand store - NO second hand Rose she, her clothes were made to order from the most brilliant designers and she looked great.

One thing I love about photo books about the Kennedys is that the are so happy in these pictures, they are frozen in time before all the sad and tragic things disrupt their lives.

Jackie was a brave, intelligent and stylish lady, and this book pays beautiful tribute to her.

This book arrived early this afternoon and in two hours I had read it from cover and cover. Then I went back and studied each picture again. Jackie's style was so classic and timeless. She was an example of elegant dressing and showed the world the meaning of grace under pressure. Many times in my own life I looked back on her dignity and courage in the darkest days of her life and found the strength to go on myself. It was wonderful to see some new pictures and be reminded of a time of true elegance. Looking closely at the various photos you can see how Jackie's style influenced the clothes of Diana and more recently, Queen Rania of Jordan.

I reckon this book doesn't worthy the money if you already have "A Thousand Days of Magic: Dressing Jackie Kennedy for the White House" by Oleg Cassini, or if you don't have "A Thousand Days of Magic", I strongly recommend it instead of this one. 90% of the pictures and sketches of Jackie's clothes are also included in "A thousand Days of Magic", which provides a much larger collection of her wardrobes/pictures and more detailed illustration of the design and her style. The outline and paper quality of "A Thousand Days of Magic" are also much better than this one, which is poorly presented by surrounding the pictures with lots of words. I very much regret that I bought this book :(

I am not a die-hard Jackie O fan, but I love fashion in general. I have always thought of Jackie O as a fashion icon, and wanted to learn more about her. Until now, I have never seen a book that pictorally does her sense of style justice. However, in this book there are enough photographs both in black and white and in color to satisfy any fashion junkie or Jackie O fan. No matter what the situation, Jackie O was always appropriately and fashionably attired. This book does an excellent job of showing this by portraying her clothing choices through the years and in a variety of categories. This book does not go into great detail about Jackie O as a person or historical figure, I don't think it was written with those objectives in mind, but it should satisfy the fashion cravings of most people. I highly recommend it.

I really enjoyed this book. It is jam packed with wonderful photographs that cover the whole range of Jackie Kennedy's White House life - from the most formal of evening gowns to the most casual of Capri pants and T-shirts - you really get a look at the whole woman's life of style. What a life it was!

The stories and captions that go along with the hundreds of photos are fun and informative. It's like history with wit and verve. There are pictures everyplace, from the cover to the inside cover to each and every page and many of them I've never seen before.

It's an amusing, informative look at one shining aspect of the life of America's Queen, Jacqueline Kennedy.