Anne Lowe was an American fashion designer renowned for her exquisite creations and impeccable craftsmanship. Born on December 9, 1898, in Clayton, Alabama, Lowe showed a natural talent for design from an early age. She honed her skills at the S.T. Taylor School of Design in New York City before launching her own fashion house in 1920.
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Throughout her career, Lowe became known for her elegant and timeless designs favored by high-society clients such as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Olivia de Havilland. Despite facing racial discrimination throughout her life, particularly during the era of segregation, she continued to persevere with determination and grace.
Notably, it was Anne Lowe who designed Jacqueline Kennedy’s iconic wedding dress for her marriage to John F. Kennedy in 1953. Her attention to detail and mastery of techniques such as pleating and draping set her apart as a true artist in the world of fashion design. Anne Lowe’s legacy endures as an influential figure in American couture, paving the way for other black designers to follow their dreams in an industry that historically excluded them.
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Legacy Left behind
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute has five of Ann Lowe’s creations on display. The National Museum of African American History and Culture of the Smithsonian Institution located in Washington, DC, and has three on display. Others were featured in a display on black fashion that opened in December 2016 at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan.
Deborah Blumenthal’s children’s book Fancy Party Gowns: The Story of Ann Cole Lowe was released in 2017. By Design: the narrative of Ann Lowe, Society’s Secret Fashion Designer, by author Piper Huguley, is a historical fiction book about Lowe’s life.
Both renowned costume designer Edith Head and fashion designer Christian Dior have praised her work.