Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf Goodman by Bergdorf Goodman

Author:Bergdorf Goodman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins

When Jacqueline Kennedy was preparing for her husband’s inauguration, she had just had a baby. In a typical husband-and-wife scenario, the president-elect assumed his wife was very busy with the children, so he thought he would expedite who would design her inaugural gown.

He asked his good pal Oleg Cassini if Oleg could come up with some ideas. But unbeknownst to President Kennedy, Mrs. Kennedy had already conferred with Ethel Frankau, the fashion director at Bergdorf. And together, they, along with the legendary fashion editor Diana Vreeland, had come up with a beautiful design.

So Mrs. Kennedy was in a little bit of a bind. She didn’t want to put her husband in an embarrassing situation, of course, but she also knew that she had a commitment with Bergdorf Goodman. It was a very delicate situation, and she knew that Ethel Frankau would not be happy if she backed out of their arrangement.

So there were many machinations and in the end, she very diplomatically decided that Oleg Cassini would do the coat and dress she wore to the actual inauguration—wool melton with a fur trim collar—and Bergdorf Goodman would indeed do the most important dress that she would probably ever wear for the Inaugural Ball.

It was a beautiful white satin dress with a purity to it, very simple, with a white coat. The lines were perfect, and of course, it became one of the most famous garments in the world.

I learned all of this from Ethel Frankau’s great-niece, Edla Cusick, who is a good friend, and who has all the letters from Mrs. Kennedy to Ms. Frankau. They were very charming, and they told the whole history of how it happened, down to the detail of President Kennedy coming into her hospital room after she had given birth to John Jr., saying basically, “I’ve just taken care of something for you,” and she thought, “Oh, dear. You didn’t really take of it. Now I have a fire to put out.”

You could just tell from the letters she was inspired by and in awe of Ethel Frankau. She listened to her and also to Diana Vreeland, who was a great mentor as well. She recognized that as first lady, she had a very important role, and she took it very seriously and depended on Bergdorf Goodman to help her establish her image.

—Wendy Goodman, design editor, New York Magazine

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