Stylish Read: "A Thousand Days of Magic"

"A Thousand Days of Magic" by Oleg Cassini was published in 1995, the year after Jackie Kennedy died. Cassini was a Hollywood costume designer turned fashion designer who died in 2006 at age 92. The son of a Russian count, he grew up in Europe and emigrated to America with his brother Igor, who became a celebrity reporter known as Cholly Knickerbocker.

 
Cassini, handsome and urbane, was his own best public relations team. He hobnobbed with society on both coasts and was married for a time to actress Gene Tierney. I first remember seeing him in the movie magazines on dates with Grace Kelly. He met Jackie through his relationship with the Kennedy family and became her designer-of-choice during the Kennedy administration, the thousand days of magic in the book title.

 
Cassini's life deserves a book of its own, which he did write ("In My Own Fashion"). He really was part of the White House "in crowd", invited to private parties in Washington, Florida and Cape Cod. There are "lampshade photos" in the book to prove it.

There is a little hyperbole—Cassini claims he was the first designer to be a celebrity in his own right and takes credit for almost all the clothes Jackie wore. He just doesn't mention her relationship with Chez Ninon, who copied Paris designs for her like the pink suit worn on that fateful day in Dallas.

Jackie probably would not have appreciated Cassini reprinting her letters to him (including her dress measurements), but they are fascinating to read, and he is kind and generous to her. She remains quite the heroine of "Camelot",  meticulous, articulate and fascinating.

Cassini designed over 300 articles of clothing for Jackie during that time—a staggering amount—but she was a very public First Lady and didn't like to be photographed wearing the same outfit twice. He also arranged for the accessories—shoes, hats, handbags and gloves—for each outfit.

While Cassini had his own ready-to-wear line, Jackie's clothes were considered couture and one-of-a-kind. They were constructed in Bergdorf Goodman's workrooms. The Nancy Drew in me uncovered a possible conflict. Cassini takes credit for the famous pillbox hat Jackie wore for Kennedy's inauguration. A recent documentary on Halston gives him the credit. Halston was Bergdorf's in-house milliner at the time. I see the real story being more of a collaboration...

What makes "A Thousand Days" special is that Cassini has arranged the book with his sketches for Jackie reproduced next to photos of her wearing the clothes. This is fascinating both to see how a design looks on paper versus the figure and how close the finished garments are to the original ideas.

Cassini had certain style tricks that are often repeated—big covered buttons, dropped waists, dropped shoulders, gentle A-lines, bateau necks (Jackie's favorite), a bow or beaded trim—all in the color palettes she preferred. Nothing looks particularly revolutionary today. In fact you could still wear everything, and I wish I had a few of those beautiful coats and dresses. What's important to remember is just how new it was for the time. Here was a beautiful young woman wearing the simplest yet most elegant things. The contrast between Jackie and any other woman in the photos is amazing.

Although mine was a library copy, I'm happy to say "A Thousand Days of Magic" is still in print. I know there are many tomes of a more serious nature on the Kennedy administration. This one captures its impact on the public and our fascination with Jackie from the beginning. Like the Kennedy saga itself, this book is one for the ages.