Halston created the pillbox hat worn by Jackie Kennedy at John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inauguration.
The small, rounded hat became one of the most recognizable accessories of Kennedy’s public style. Its simple shape worked with her pale inauguration outfit and helped define the clean, modern image associated with the new First Lady. Roy Halston Frowick, known professionally as Halston, was then an influential milliner before becoming famous for minimalist American fashion.
The hat is often incorrectly attributed to Oleg Cassini, who served as Kennedy’s principal fashion designer and created many of her clothes. Cassini designed the matching inauguration ensemble, while Halston made the hat. This distinction is one reason the accessory remains an important example of collaboration between a milliner and a dress designer.
Halston later became known for ultrasuede shirts, jersey dresses, and streamlined eveningwear.