Day 5 - Ann Cole Lowe Ann Cole Lowe born in rural Clayton, Alabama in 1898 was American fashion designer and the first African American to become a noted fashion designer. Lowe's one-of-a-kind designs were a favorite among high society matrons from the 1920s to the 1960s. In 1917, Lowe and her son moved to New York City, where she enrolled at S.T. Taylor Design School. As the school was segregated, Lowe was required to attend classes in a room alone. Lowe’s client network was integral to her success. She became famous among the wealthy American elite for her one-of-a-kind gowns made of fine fabric and handiwork, often evoking floral motifs. Lowe specialized in debutante gowns, and pleased clients would return to her for their wedding dresses. I In 1953, Ann Lowe was chosen to create the dresses for the entire bridal party of Jacqueline Bouvier’s wedding to senator John F. Kennedy. Ten days before the wedding, there was a flood in Lowe’s studio, destroying two months’ worth of work. Lowe enlisted extra help, reconstructed the dresses, and absorbed the cost. The wedding gown received publicity, but the press did not credit Lowe at the time, referring to her as “a colored dressmaker.” Although she excelled at dressmaking and designed for an elite clientele, Lowe was paid less than white designers for her custom design work.  No longer “society’s best kept secret” as the Saturday Evening Post called her, Lowe is now recognized as a pioneering African American couturier.  Music Credit: @lesleyonthetown1 #blackpianist follow #blackpianist #artist #blackhistorymonth #Day5 #EverythangCulture #Podcast #Black #Excellence #Honor #Remember #Learn #Listen #Grow #Unity #fashion #highfashion #recognize #dresses #wedding #designer #diva #smithsonian #museum #history #JFK #HighSociety #IKnowImLate #SocietysBestKeptSecret #annlowe (at Seattle, Washington) https://www.instagram.com/p/CK8Mpn7pR2U/?utm_medium=tumblr