SOTHEBY’S LAUNCHES A NEW ERA WITH THE AUCTION OF JACQUELINE KENNEDY’S MOST ICONIC COAT
A symbol of the past returns to the spotlight in New York. Historical elegance takes center stage in a season where style becomes legacy.
The purple coat Jacqueline Kennedy wore on the night John F. Kennedy won the 1960 presidential election will headline Sotheby’s first auction dedicated exclusively to handbags and fashion an event that merges political history, cultural heritage and the enduring allure of the Kennedy family’s style.
The wool piece, known for its slightly flared silhouette, round neckline and double-breasted design, will be exhibited from December 5 to 8 at the Breuer Building in New York, the auction house’s new headquarters and former Whitney Museum of American Art, inaugurated in 1966 by Kennedy herself. The online sale runs until December 15, with an estimated price of $6,000 to $8,000.
The coat gained historical significance on November 8, 1960, when Kennedy accompanied her husband during his presidential victory speech while eight months pregnant. Photographs from that night as well as Life magazine’s special cover featuring the president-elect and the first lady cemented the garment as a symbol of a new political era in the United States.
According to Sotheby’s, the piece circulated for decades among women in Kennedy’s inner circle, many of them also expectant mothers. The house noted that the donor’s mother was the last to wear it and preserved it with particular care. This intimate lineage enhances the intangible value of the garment, regarded both as a personal memento and as an object of cultural relevance.
Morgane Halimi, Sotheby’s International Head of Handbags and Fashion, described the coat as a piece that captures “the spirit of a turning point in American history,” highlighting its ability to convey modernity and optimism through style alone. The choice of color an intense violet that contrasted with the muted tones typical of political attire at the time reinforced the avant-garde image of the future first lady, whose aesthetic influence would shape the years to come in the White House.
The auction marks the official opening of Sotheby’s new space dedicated to fashion and accessories, an initiative designed to spotlight pieces with historical and artisanal value. Alongside the coat, the event will feature a green velvet evening gown by Alexander McQueen, valued between $7,000 and $12,000, from the collection “In Memory of Elizabeth Howe, Salem 1692.” Also included are a Yves Saint Laurent jumpsuit, a Dior fur coat designed by Gianfranco Ferré and a blue-and-gold tweed jacket by Chanel created by Karl Lagerfeld.
Among the standout handbags are a Hermès Vintage Sterling Silver Mini Kelly from the 1990s, estimated at $80,000 to $150,000, and a limited-edition 2023 Kelly 25 Sellier with 18-karat yellow-gold hardware.
Sotheby’s noted that this inaugural edition of “Handbags and Fashion” aims to establish a lasting platform for pieces that blend design, legacy and direct links to defining moments in American culture.