Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' Violet Wool Coat, worn on the Election night of John F. Kennedy, November 8th, 1960

Private Collection, United States

Life Magazine, “The President-Elect and His Family,” November 1960, cover and feature article

Few garments so perfectly embody both elegance and history as the violet wool maternity coat worn by Jacqueline Kennedy on the night of her husband’s election to the Presidency in November 1960. Immortalized on the cover of Life magazine’s special issue introducing the newly elected President and First Lady, the coat came to symbolize both the dawning of a new political era and the emergence of one of the 20th century’s most enduring style icons.

At the time, Jacqueline Kennedy was eight months pregnant with her second child, John F. Kennedy Jr. Her public appearances were necessarily limited during the campaign, but when she joined Senator Kennedy in Hyannis Port on election night, she did so in a garment of striking simplicity and modernity. The vivid violet hue—a daring choice amid the neutral tones typical of political wardrobes—lent a sense of optimism and individuality. The gently flared silhouette, rounded collar, and oversized buttons demonstrate her preference for clean, architectural lines and impeccable tailoring, qualities that would soon define her approach to White House fashion.

The coat is offered by a family with long and close ties to the Kennedys, reflecting a friendship that spanned generations. The piece was shared among a close circle of Mrs. Kennedy’s friends who were also expectant mothers, passed from one to another as a cherished maternity garment. The consignor’s mother was the last within this group to wear the coat, preserving it thereafter with great care. As such, it stands not only as a symbol of a historic night, but also as a quiet testament to the bonds of friendship and femininity that surrounded the future First Lady.

It is an honor to present this garment as part of our inaugural Handbags & Fashion sale in our new home at the Breuer Building—a setting steeped in American cultural history in its own right. The inclusion of Jacqueline Kennedy’s election-night coat carries particular resonance here, for it was Mrs. Kennedy herself who presided over the ribbon-cutting ceremony that marked the building’s original opening. To bring this emblematic piece back into the very space she helped inaugurate is to celebrate not only her legacy as a style icon, but also her enduring influence on the cultural institutions that shape our collective memory.