Oleg Cassini, the Russian designer behind Jackie Kennedy's "look"

The first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy, called Oleg Cassini his "Secretary of Style", a title that says a lot about the designer's reputation, his status and authority.

Russian ancestry

Oleg Cassini was born as Oleg Loiewski in 1913 in Paris, in a Russian aristocratic family with Italian ancestry.His father was an impoverished Count and Russian diplomat, while his mother, an Italian countess, was the daughter of the Tsar ambassador to Washington at the end of the 19th century.The 1917 Bolshevik Revolution literally put his life up.They lost a fortune and, like many others, from the venerated composer Sergei Rajmáninv to the renowned philosopher Nikolái Berdiáiev, the Loiewski family was forced to leave Russia and return to Europe.They moved to Florence (Italy), where Oleg's mother, Marguerite Cassini, opened a fashion store.

Oleg, who adopted his mother's last name, enrolled at the University of Florence, where he studied Political Science and Fine Arts with the legendary French designer Jean Patou.

In 1936, adventure hungry, Oleg Cassini went to the USA.He said he didn't have too much luggage, just "a tuxedo, two tennis rackets, a title and talent".

But an important detail that Cassini forgot to mention in his autobiography, titled in my way, was his lovely smile that was irresistible to many ladies.This opened many doors.

Cassini was a notorious womanizer.He was married to actress Gene Tierney, considered one of the most attractive actresses in the history of cinema.After his divorce, the insatiable Playboy promised one of the most beautiful women of all time, Grace Kelly, who later left Oleg to marry Prince Rainiero of Monaco (the star of "Mogambo", however, confessedlater that he regretted that decision).

In the US, Cassini worked for Paramount Pictures, the oldest film study in the country, as a costume designer, wearing the Hollywood stars and the celebrities on the list A.It is believed that the designer had endless adventure, including passionate relations with Marilyn Monroe and Anita Ekberg.

Apparently, fashion ran in the blood of his family.It was the younger brother of Oleg, the columnist of gossip Igor Cassini, who coined the phrase that has been used by fashionistas around the world, "Jet Set".

Jackie Kennedy

Jacqueline became First Lady in 1965, when her husband, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, swore the position to become the 35th president of the United States.For Jackie Kennedy (from Bauvier's single), his public image was as vital as the forecast of time.Naturally, it had to be at the same time cold and precise.

Jackie's father had a French, Scottish and English ancestry, and her daughter worshiped everything French from her early age.In addition, he graduated in French literature.After becoming First Lady, at 31, he could no longer take the costumes of his beloved luxury brands, such as Givenchy and Chanel, since this would be considered immediately as something antipatriotic.

And that was when Oleg Cassini turned.The designer created more than 300 costumes for Jacqueline Kennedy during his stay at the White House, from 1961 to 1963.Cassini was not only the man behind Jackie's look, but he was also his friend.Thanks to Cassini, Jackie became the personification of grace and style.

The fashion legacy

Cassini had a sixth sense for glamorous style.He designed Geometric Line A dresses, custom suits, pillbox hats, gloves, shoes and even bags for the first lady and invented the so -called "Jackie" look ".Cassini orchestrated his wardrobe as if it were the Concert No. 1 of Chaikovski, with one eye for the slightest detail and a commitment to excellence.

As First Lady, Jackie Kennedy's costumes were much more than her personal whims or flashes of emotion.They were a declaration of security and elegance.

And although some critics said that Cassini did not invent anything, but copied the costumes of famous French designs, it is true that his fashion almost never had to do with trends and marks, but with maintaining “heels, head and levelof demand ”, as Gabrielle Chanel once said, Jackie's great favorite fashion lady.

Cassini, who opened new roads in the fashion business with trade agreements and created a millionaire empire, tried to keep his head high until the advanced age of 92 years.He died in Long Island, New York, in 2006.He lived to see how his signature dresses were exhibited at the Metropolitan Art Museum in an exhibition entitled "Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House years".

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