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An Underrated Black Fashion Designer of the 20th Century

The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Mt Holyoke chapter.

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photo of Ann Lowe from winterthur.org

Background

Throughout American history, African Americans’ work has gone uncredited and underappreciated. From advances in medicine to inventions we use in our daily lives, and even the fashion industry, the work of African Americans’ is continually overlooked. An example of a forgotten gem is a renowned dress designer, Ann Lowe. I’ll start by discussing a bit of her backstory and then showing off some of her best dress designs.

Ann Lowe, born in 1898 in Clayton, Alabama, learned sewing from her grandmother at age 5, continuing her family’s tradition of dressmaking. In the late 1920s, she moved to New York to establish her own dress salon, specializing in custom gowns for elite clientele. Renowned for creating Jackie Kennedy’s wedding dress, she was the first African American with a shop on Madison Ave. Despite her talent, she faced unequal pay due to her race and gender. Lowe retired in 1972 and passed away in 1981, leaving a lasting impact on the fashion industry, particularly for African American designers.

Now, let’s get into some of her dress designs!!

  1. The Copeland Dress 

image source fashionhistory.edu

The pink flowers were hand-sewn by Ann Lowe. Fabric flowers were a staple of Lowes’ signature dress designs.

2. 1950s Ballgown

image source thevintagewomanmagazine.com

An evening gown made from white tulle and red velvet fabric. 

3. Evening Dress

image source fashionhistory.edu

This gown is archived in the MET Museum in New York City.

4. Ball Gown in Chantilly Lace 

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image source fashionhistory.edu

A ball gown with Lowe’s signature fabric flowers across the back

5. Jackie Kennedy’s Wedding Dress 

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image source imgur.com

Not only did Lowe design Jackie Kennedy’s wedding dress, but she also designed the bridal party gowns as well. Each was created delicately to fit each member of the bridal party

6. 1959 Ball Gown

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image source nmaahc.si.edu

My personal favorite! A pink tulle ball gown sewn with bows and pearls.

7. 1958 Ball Gown

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image source nmaahc.si.edu

A dress with beautiful embroidered floral details.

The dresses I included in this article are only a snapshot of Lowe’s grand work. If you would like to discover more about Ann Lowe’s life and her work I recommend looking into museum websites archives of her dress designs and reading articles about her.

Sources:

https://imgur.com/gallery/Zx7IX7s

https://www.antiquetrader.com/collectibles/pioneering-black-fashion-designer-ann-lowe

https://nmaahc.si.edu/

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Amarah Rogers

Mt Holyoke '27

My name is Amarah Rogers, In my free time I like to write, draw, and reading. Some of my favorite things include my dog, Zeus, my little sisters, music, making outfits, chicken alfredo, writing, the anime Nana, anything Batman, purple, bears, deer, and driving my car with the windows down.