Ann Cole Lowe: The trailblazing African American couturier
Born in Clayton Alabama in 1898 Lowe inherited a passion for dressmaking from her mother and formerly enslaved grandmother, Georgia Thompkins.
After her mother’s passing, Lowe took over the family business of dressmaking and her mother’s unfinished assignments. She later moved to Florida to work for elite clientele before attending the Taylor School of Design in New York to hone her skills– there she sat in segregated classrooms.
In 1950 Lowe opened her own stand-alone business, “Anne Lowe’s Gowns”
In 1953 she designed Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding dress. High society pages applauded the dress but failed to mention the designer. Later being dubbed Society’s best kept secret
The silhouettes created by Lowe continue to inspire fashion today, and the Jacqueline Kennedy wedding dress remains a timeless classic. #KeepingBlackHistoryAlive
Jacqueline Kennedy’s ivory silk taffeta wedding dress was one of the most talked-about pieces of clothing of the 20th century. However, not everyone knows that a Black designer created this iconic garment. That’s because the African-American woman behind it is one of modern history’s most overlooked fashion figures.
While Coco Chanel and Miuccia Prada continue to garner acclaim, Anne Cole Lowe remains relatively unknown to the wider public. However, all that might change with the upcoming release of a Hollywood biopic about this talented designer.
This Anne Lowe biography tells her story through a Black lens, including her struggles and enduring legacy. You’ll also learn facts about Ann Lowe’s early life and personal relationships.
Early life of Ann Cole Lowe
Anne Cole Lowe, known in fashion circles as Anne Lowe, was born in Clayton, Alabama, in 1898 to a family of African-American dressmakers. She was the great-granddaughter of an enslaved seamstress and a white plantation owner.
Growing up, Lowe learned the art of dressmaking from her mother and grandmother, developing highly technical skills by the time she was a teenager. Developing an elegant and feminine style, she often included hand-made floral elements in her designs — a trademark that would also be present in her later work.
Ann Lowe facts from early life
After dropping out of school, Lowe worked as a seamstress before taking over her mother’s dressmaking business after she died. At 19, Lowe quit the family business and moved to New York City, where she studied at St. Taylor Design School. However, due to segregation, she had to attend classes in a room on her own.
Lowe graduated from St. Taylor in 1919 and relocated to Tampa, Florida. Just a year later, she opened her first dress shop called “Annie Cohen.” Demand for her garments grew, and Lowe eventually hired 18 sewists to keep up with demand.
After nine years in Tampa, Lowe moved back to New York City and started to work on commissions for high-profile retailers such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Chez Sonia and Neiman Marcus. She primarily created clothes for rich society women, a far cry from her humble beginnings.
Ann Cole Lowe’s personal life
At 14, Lowe married Lee Cohen, and the couple had a son, Arthur Lee, before splitting. Reports suggest that Lowe’s husband didn’t want her to work as a seamstress, so she left him after being hired to design a wedding dress for a woman in Florida.
Lowe later married Caleb West, a hotel bellhop and day laborer, and the couple stayed together until 1942. Lowe’s son was her bookkeeper from the 1930s until he died in a car crash in 1958. This loss led to financial problems for the designer.
Lowe also had health issues, including eyesight damage from glaucoma. She later adopted a daughter, Ruth Alexander.
Ann Cole Lowe’s career: Overcoming barriers to success
In 1946, Lowe designed Olivia de Havilland’s Oscar dress for “To Each His Own.” However, the name on the dress was Sonia Rosenberg, the store that sold the garment, meaning Lowe didn’t get any credit for her work, something that would happen repeatedly throughout her career.
A few years later, Lowe opened a second store, Anne Lowe’s Gowns, in New York City. Situated in the heart of Manhattan on Madison Avenue, the business specialized in high-couture wedding gowns and other bridal wear. Lowe often used silk, satin and other fabrics to create an elegant aesthetic.
Perhaps Lowe’s most famous dress was the one she created for Jaqueline Kennedy — then Bouvier — in 1953. Janet Auchincloss, Kennedy’s mother, suggested that Lowe design the garment, which eventually consisted of 50 yards of silk taffeta and included interwoven bands of tucking. A portrait necklace and a bouffant skirt finished the look. Lowe also designed 15 bridesmaid’s dresses.
When media outlets like The New York Times covered the wedding, they rarely mentioned Lowe. Even Kennedy was reluctant to name the designer, simply saying a “colored woman” had made the dress.
Similar to other Black designers, Lowe would often be paid less than her white counterparts — despite creating dresses for a wealthy clientele and having a high-profile store on Madison Avenue. She offered lower prices than other designers and often sold her dresses at a reduced cost, eventually leading to financial problems.
“Upon the death of her son and business partner in 1958, she had difficulty making ends meet, ultimately declaring bankruptcy in 1962,” says the Fashion Institute of Technology. An anonymous benefactor paid off a debt Lowe incurred from medical and business expenses — possibly Kennedy.
“Too late, I realized that dresses I sold for $300 were costing me $450,” Lowe said. “The Internal Revenue agents finally closed me up for non-payment of taxes. At my wit’s end, I ran sobbing into the street.”
In 1957, Lowe became one of several designers to duplicate 29 inaugural dresses of American first ladies in miniature form, and this work is on display in the First Ladies’ Hall at the Smithsonian Institution.
The tragic loss and recovery of Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding dress
Kennedy’s dress nearly didn’t happen. Lowe had to redesign parts of the bridal gown and 10 bridesmaid’s dresses when a pipe burst in her showroom a week before the wedding, destroying eight weeks of work. She recreated the gowns in a few days without telling the bride. However, the accident meant her expected $700 profit from the job turned into a $2,200 loss.
Despite these struggles, the media reaction to the dress was overwhelmingly positive. The garment is still considered a hallmark of mid-20th-century fashion, with The Philadelphia Tribute noting:
“A photo of the newlyweds ran on the front page of The New York Times on September 13, 1953. But the grainy black-and-white shot, the bride half obscured by her husband, couldn’t do justice to the bouffant skirt and the layers of silk taffeta, the intricate scallop pintucks and tiny flowers of wax — a fitting choice for the woman who would go on to become American royalty.”
Death of Ann Cole Lowe
Lowe died on February 25, 1981, and her funeral took place at St. Marks United Methodist Church in Manhattan.
Her obituary in The New York Times reads:
“Ann Lowe, who designed gowns for debutantes and society brides, including the gown Jacqueline Bouvier wore when she married Senator John F. Kennedy, died last Wednesday after a long illness in the Queens home of her daughter, where she had lived for the last five years. She was 82 years old.”
The legacy of Ann Cole Lowe
Despite being uncredited for a lot of her work, including the iconic Kennedy dress, Lowe has influenced many Black designers today.
“Ann Lowe’s work was the definition of modern sophistication. She had a knack for adding texture and interesting elements to her designs without losing shape,” says “Making the Cut” winner and Pantora Bridal designer Andrea Pitter. “She was an unsung inspiration. Despite not getting her flowers when they were due, she continued to create trends and ultimately changed American bridal fashion.”
While not celebrated during her life, Lowe’s distinctive styles influenced high-society fashion in the middle of the 20th century. Over the course of her career, she designed pieces for the Rockefellers, the Du Ponts and other famous families. Anne Lowe’s dresses also appeared in Vogue and Vanity Fair.
“I love my clothes, and I’m particular about who wears them,” Lowe told Ebony magazine. “I’m not interested in sewing for cafe society or social climbers. I do not cater to Mary and Sue. I sew for the families of the Social Register.”
In September 2024, Sony’s Tristar announced a new biopic about Lowe, supported by Serena Williams and Ruth E. Carter. “The Dress” will focus on Lowe’s experience creating the Kennedy dress and how the fashion world didn’t recognize her for her design, which was commonplace for African-Americans in fashion.
Other notable works about Ann Lowe’s legacy as an American fashion designer include:
- “Fancy Party Gowns: The Story of Ann Cole Lowe” — a children’s book written by Deborah Blumenthal
- “Ann Lowe, Fashion Designer to the Social Register” — a historical fashion novel written by Piper Huguley about Anne’s life, which is the inspiration for the upcoming movie “The Dress”
Celebrating the legacy of Ann Cole Lowe
Some Ann Lowe designs went on display at the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library in Delaware in September 2023, cementing her legacy as one of the most talented dressmakers in modern American history. “Anne Lowe: American Couturier” included 40 dresses the designer made from the 1920s to the 1960s, including debutante gowns and bridal wear, and featured pieces from contemporary creatives such as Tracy Reese, B Michael and Bishme Cromartie.
The museum says:
“Ann Lowe’s recently emerging visibility as a designer stands in contrast to much of her career and the countless unrecognized Black dressmakers and designers who have contributed to American fashion for generations, including her own grandmother and mother. She blazed a path for others to follow, and her legacy is still felt in fashion culture.”
Lowe’s dresses are currently on display at various museums across the United States, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, the Henry Plant Museum and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum stores the Kennedy wedding dress, which last went on public display in 2003 to honor the couple’s 50th wedding anniversary. The dress is said to now be in a “deleterious” state and has tears in its waistline, according to Katya Roelse, a fashion designer professor at the University of Delaware.
“Although Ann experienced immense racism and overwhelming loss throughout her career, she did not let those experiences limit her,” says Diversity in Design. “Instead, she continued to pursue her passion and cemented her place in American history.”
Ann Lowe FAQs
Where and when was Ann Lowe born?
Ann Lowe was born in Clayton, Alabama, in 1898. She came from a family of dressmakers.
What happened to Ann Lowe?
After a successful career, Lowe struggled with financial and health issues. She died in Queens in 1981 after an extended illness.
How many kids did Ann Lowe have?
Lowe had one son, Arthur Lee, with her first husband. He was her business partner from the 1930s until his death in 1957. Lowe later adopted a daughter, Ruth Alexander.
What was the quote from Ann Lowe?
Perhaps Lowe’s best-known quote is: “I do not cater to Mary and Sue. I sew for the families of the Social Register.” Lowe designed dresses for many high-society clients, including the du Ponts and the Rockefellers.
Why wasn’t Ann Lowe credited for her work?
Like a lot of Black designers in the mid-20th century, Ann Lowe didn’t get much credit for her designs because of racial discrimination and segregation. Lowe also received less money than white designers.
How is Ann Lowe remembered today?
Despite not receiving public acknowledgment for her work when she was alive, Lowe is now considered one of America’s best fashion designers of the mid-20th century. She is most famous for creating Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding dress in 1953. Lowe’s style has inspired a new generation of designers, and her work is on display in various museums across the U.S.
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