Which U.S. first lady is associated with the pink Chanel suit worn on November 22, 1963?

Jacqueline Kennedy wore the pink Chanel suit associated with November 22, 1963.

The first lady wore the raspberry-pink bouclé suit during President John F. Kennedy’s visit to Dallas. After Kennedy was shot, the garment became stained with his blood. Jacqueline Kennedy continued wearing it during Lyndon B. Johnson’s swearing-in aboard Air Force One, creating one of the most indelible images of the twentieth century.

The suit included navy trim, a matching pillbox hat, white gloves, and a navy handbag. It was made in New York by Chez Ninon using Chanel-approved materials and patterns through the house’s “line for line” system. That detail explains why sources sometimes disagree about whether it was technically made in France by Chanel or in the United States as an authorized Chanel copy.

Television and many newspapers showed the assassination coverage in black and white, so the public did not immediately see the suit’s vivid color. Color photographs published later helped establish its familiar historical identity. The preserved, unlaundered suit was given to the National Archives and is not expected to be displayed publicly before 2103.