Jackie Kennedy and The Pink Suit

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It will go down in the history books as one of the most iconic pink suits. An outfit that – in a matter of hours – went from the height of chic to a symbol of carnage.
When Jackie Kennedy donned her pink skirt suit on the morning of Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas, it perfectly captured the chic fashion sense the first lady was known for.
A copy of a Coco Chanel design, the suit was one she had worn on several occasions before and was referred to as “smashing” by her husband, President John F. Kennedy.

But in a few hours on that fateful day in November, 50 years ago, when her husband was shot while sitting next to her in the presidential limo, the suit was thrown into a different light. Splattered with the president’s blood, it became a grim image of the horror of that day and how the course of history was immediately changed.
Kennedy refused to take off the suit in the aftermath of the assassination, reportedly saying, “I want them to see what they have done.”

Later, on Air Force One, she was still wearing the blood-soaked suit, as Lyndon Johnson was being sworn in as President.

It was not until 15 hours later in the White House that Kennedy removed the suit. It was packed into a box, along with her shoes and bag, and kept in storage at her mother’s home.

Today, the suit is stored in the National Archives building in Maryland.

After Jackie Kennedy’s death, her daughter, Caroline Kennedy, bequeathed the suit as a gift to the people of America with the request that it would not be put on display until 2103.

The suit, remains out of sight in a temperature-controlled room. But to this day, it remains uncleaned, still caked in JFK’s blood, destined to be forever linked to that fateful tragic day.