Today in Black Fashion History, we celebrate the contributions of Ann Lowe . After attending fashion design school in New York City and in 1920, she opened her first dress salon, “Annie Cohen”. Lowe also worked on commission for stores such as Henri Bendel, Chez Sonia, Neiman Marcus, and Saks Fifth Avenue.
In 1946, she designed the dress worn by actress Olivia de Havilland when she accepted her Academy Award for Best Actress in To Each His Own.
As she was not getting credit for her work, Lowe and her son opened a second salon, “Ann Lowe’s Gowns”, in New York City on Lexington Avenue in 1950, where her one-of-a-kind designs attracted wealthy, high society clients.
Her most famous design was the wedding dress of Mrs. Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, when she married John F. Kennedy in 1953.
Lowe’s other high profile clients included New York society families, the Rockefellers and the Vanderbilts. In 1968, she opened a new store, Ann Lowe Originals, on Madison Avenue, later retiring in 1972.
Reposted with permission from the late great @mychaelknight