July 4th, 2020

Happy 4th of July Dolls!

I truly hope you guys enjoyed this little 4th of July series I did. It was fun being able to expose you to just a couple of amazing Black Americans who have changed the country. I wanted to end this series with a bang, so I saved the best for last…allow me to introduce you to Ms. Ann Lowe. That name may not ring a bell, but in fashion industry, she was a game changer. She was the first prominent Black fashion designer. Ann Lowe was born in Clayton, Alabama in 1898, and was the great granddaughter of a slave and an Alabama plantation owner. Her mother and grandmother influenced her love of fashion and sewing. They designed clothing for Alabama high society. She moved to New York City in 1917 to attend design school (which was segregated). She opened her first design salon in 1920, catering to the high society of Tampa, Florida, where she moved to after college. She saved her money and moved back to the NYC in 1928 and would design for stores such as Neiman Marcus & Saks Fifth Avenue. Her success allowed her to begin designing for some of Hollywoods most glamorous women. However, a lot of designs went uncredited because she was Black.

Her clothes were attractive because she used the finest materials that had intricate details. She was Hollywoods/High Societes/Fashionistas best kept secret. In 1953, she was commissioned to design the wedding dress of Ms. Jacqueline Bouvier to John F. Kennedy. Yes…that Jackie-O. A lot of people aren’t aware that First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding dress was designed by and Black designer. Although many people knew she designed it, she (again) did not receive credit. She charged just $500 for that dress…which is equivalent to $5,000.00 today. While many of high society wore her designs, she undercharge because she was black. A lot of times, she actually failed to make a profit. Even though she undercharged and sometimes didn’t make a profit, she was able to open up three stores in New York City…the last one being on Madison Avenue. She retired in 1972, but you can still find a lot of her designs in museums such as the Smithsonian or Metropolitan Museum of Art. I’ve been lucky to see some of her designs…and they are gorgeous!

Amazon Gingham Dress, Kids, Pom Pom Purse (Old)

xoxo 🇺🇸