Natalie Portman Totally Channels Jackie Kennedy With These 7 Iconic Looks
As the title character in Jackie, Natalie Portman is playing the role of a lifetime as one nation's most beloved first ladies during the most tragic and critical point in her life. Early reviews are calling Acadamy Award winner Portman's portrayal of Jacqueline Kennedy (directly following the assassination of her husband, President John F. Kennedy) a success, but does the biopic manage to capture the fashion icon's timeless sense of style and grace?
We took a look at some of Jackie's most unforgettable ensembles, along with several of Natalie Portman's costumes, to see whether the movie wardrobe lives up to the real thing. (Spoiler alert: The designer did a pretty amazing job!)
IRL: Ready for Her Close Up
Jackie was the picture of poise in her signature pearls and a red wool Dior dress, worn while filming the CBS News Special program A Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy in January 1962.
On-Screen: Lady in Red
French costume designer Madeline Fontaine (known for her work on Amélie) was called in to re-create the famous Dior look. A pink version was also made for the black-and-white scenes, as the red fabric appeared too dark on film!
IRL: Perfectly on Point
As First Lady, Jackie Kennedy always looked perfectly appropriate for every occasion -- like when she slipped on a pair of gloves and a shimmering sleeveless gown for a White House ceremony in June 1961.
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On-Screen: Center Stage
Natalie Portman's gown-and-gloves combo in this scene captures the grace and style Jackie herself brought to every occasion. According to Madeline Fontaine, the designer and her team drew inspiration from "an incredibly large quantity of pictures and footage."
On-Screen: A Neutral Palette
The style and color of Natalie Portman's outfit in this tense-looking scene with Billy Crudup echoes Jackie's continued classic pieces and preference for interesting collars.
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On-Screen: May I Have This Dance?
Designer Madeline Fontaine honored Jackie's theme of long gloves and longer gowns for formal events in this scene. While the more famous outfits that appear in the film were made in-house, the designer also sourced pieces from rental houses in France and Los Angeles.
IRL: Feeling Fuchsia
This undated photo from the '60s shows Jackie surrounded by admirers in one of her trademark colorful shift dresses.
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On-Screen: Blue Period
As Natalie Portman proves in this scene, Jackie always knew how to use color to make an unforgettable statement. "Each period has is own colors and lines," said designer Madeline Fontaine.
IRL: The Darkest Day
Legend has it the black Givenchy gown she wore to JFK's funeral -- one of Jackie's unfortunately most memorable outfits -- was flown in from Paris on short notice.
On-Screen: Grace Under Fire
Jackie's funeral suit was one of the ensembles Madeline Fontaine re-created from scratch for the film. Her team had just 10 weeks before shooting to prepare some of these iconic looks.
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IRL: Pretty in Pink
The iconic pink suit Jackie wore the day JFK was assassinated was not, in fact, a Coco Chanel original -- it was an American knockoff. It's now locked away from public view in the National Archives building in Maryland and has not been seen since that fateful day. (Years after her mother's 2003 death, Caroline Kennedy donated suit as a gift under the condition that it would not be put on display until 2103. It has never been cleaned.)
On-Screen: Fashion History
Fontaine produced five versions of the tweed suit, all of which needed to be hand-dyed to re-create the exact right shade of pink. She did, though, get some help from Chanel in getting the buttons just right. Jackie historically refused to remove the blood-spattered suit in the hours following JFK's death, saying, "Let them see what they've done..."