Vive La France!
Jaqueline and John F. Kennedy Visit France Video
Here is a link to watch the video
A polo and khakis might be as dressed up as you get – and today, that’s fine. But before January 1961 or so, that would’ve been considered shockingly casual for most events, maybe even slovenly. To say the ’60s transformed style is an understatement, and while rock and roll broke down barriers and allowed everyone to let their freak flag fly (even Richard Nixon had sideburns by ’72), the first cracks in the conservative style of the ’50s came from the White House, when John F. Kennedy was president.
On Inauguration Day, January 20, 1961, president-elect John F. Kennedy broke tradition and largely eschewed from wearing the traditional top hat. This may sound ridiculously old-timey today, but that’s just how conservative and codified style was back then. From the ’20s through the ’50s, American menswear was dominated by trends set in England, specifically from Buckingham Palace. It was the era of the Edward VIII look: double-breasted suits and evening wear; a time when going out anywhere was a formality to some extent.
The Kennedys were the opposite of these old-school formalities. Campaigning against Nixon in ’60, JFK looked thoroughly modern in his tailored Brooks Brothers suits, compared to Nixon’s old-style box-cut duds (though Nixon was only three years older). Unlike earlier presidents, Kennedy and his family were photographed in their natural element, and it was anything but formal. Off the clock, the Kennedy clan wore crew neck sweaters, khakis, sneakers, and wrinkled oxford shirts, yet still conveyed power and responsibility. They brought the Ivy League preppy style to the forefront of American culture, and within a few years, hats and ties began disappearing from the closets of millions of Americans.
During his brief presidency, JFK started a massive sea change that transformed style, politics, and culture in ways he never could’ve imagined. To see Bill Clinton in his bathing suit in the ’90s, or Barack Obama stumping without a tie in the ’00s, shows just how much Kennedy changed the office, and how casual American culture has become. He broke down the formal confines of the White House, and became the first truly relatable president in American history.
Over half a century later, he still ranks as one of the most popular presidents of all-time, and his effortless style has become an inspiration for the way Americans view clothing. Here are some simple wardrobe updates that will take you from Casual Friday to Hyannis Port cool in no time at all.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy
May 29, 1917-November 22, 1963
