Image of President and Mrs. Kennedy smiling at Love Field

The Museum is frequently asked about the fate of Mrs. Kennedy's distinctive pink suit worn on November 22, 1963. The double-breasted wool suit is often called a "Chanel suit," though it was actually a line-for-line copy made by New York City company Chez Ninon and approved by Chanel. Mrs. Kennedy was photographed wearing the suit on several occasions prior to the fateful day of the assassination. As to its whereabouts today, although it has long been in the care of the National Archives, the suit was formally donated to the Archives by Caroline Kennedy in 2003 with the stipulation that it may not be publicly displayed until at least 2103, one hundred years after the donation, when display may then be approved by the Kennedy family. The stipulation against display, per the gift agreement, is to not "dishonor the memory" of President or Mrs. Kennedy or "cause any grief or suffering to" the Kennedy family. Today, the suit is stored in a custom-made, acid-free box with temperature and humidity control at the National Archives and Records Administration's College Park facility in Maryland. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator