A Hair-Raising Story: Fashion and Hair

Jackie Kennedy, one of the most iconic women to ever hold the title of First Lady of the United States, captivated the world with her extraordinary sense of style that reshaped the landscape of fashion. Kennedy redefined the role of the First Lady not only on the political and formal stage, but also as a symbol of American glamour and style. In this moving lecture, we will journey through her life and discover how pastel suits, pillbox hats, pearls, oversized sunglasses, and her signature hairstyle became enduring icons of fashion and femininity. Jackie’s life was marked by dramatic turns, highs and lows: her years in the White House, coping with the grief of her husband’s assassination, raising her children as a single mother, her second marriage, and her later years in New York. Her elegant style, blending grace with effortless charm, continues to inspire designers, public figures, and fashion lovers around the world. Through her fashion and personal choices, we will uncover how she left a lasting mark on American culture — and how fashion can become a symbol of resilience and comfort in times of loss and tragedy.

What made Princess Diana a fashion icon that continues to stir the hearts of fans 25 years after her death? This talk will follow the beloved fashion princess through her wardrobe. Life under the lens of probing cameras taught Princess Diana to use fashion to express herself, her values and feelings. In fashion, as in her life, she was not afraid to take risks and break conventions, to create sensations and to collaborate with various designers, from haute couture to street fashion. In this inaugural lecture, we shall dive into her moving story through her fashion legacy and discover how fashion served her as a rich and wide-ranging medium of self-expression, for conveying criticism of the Royal Family and even for influencing the global social arena.

What made Princess Diana a fashion icon that continues to stir the hearts of fans 25 years after her death? This talk will follow the beloved fashion princess through her wardrobe. Life under the lens of probing cameras taught Princess Diana to use fashion to express herself, her values and feelings. In fashion, as in her life, she was not afraid to take risks and break conventions, to create sensations and to collaborate with various designers, from haute couture to street fashion. In this inaugural lecture, we shall dive into her moving story through her fashion legacy and discover how fashion served her as a rich and wide-ranging medium of self-expression, for conveying criticism of the Royal Family and even for influencing the global social arena.