2. The “meeting with the Pope” look
In January 1966, three years after her husband’s assassination, Jackie O had a private meeting with Pope Paul VI. She knew that the Pope’s costume is simple, yet elegant, and she dressed accordingly.
She chose to wear a smooth, straightforward, and elegant long-sleeve black dress, created by designer Oleg Cassini, the one who became Jackie’s “Secretary of Style”. She paired the outfit with an Italian black lace veil and she looked simple, yet very classic.
Melania Trump was inspired by this look and she recreated her own version of it in 2017 when she met with Pope Benedict in the Vatican. The former first lady donned a black lace coat dress and a short lace veil.
There are some fashion critics who believe that Melania’s look has more to do with tradition, rather than Jackie’s style, because there were a lot of first ladies who chose to wear a lace veil (also known as a mantilla) when they met the Pope, such as Betty Ford, Michelle Obama, Hilary Clinton, and Laura Bush.
