The Pink Suit

A Novel

By: Nicole Mary Kelby

Narrated by: Gabrielle de Cuir

A novel based on the true story behind Jacqueline Kennedy's iconic pink suit.

On November 22, 1963, the First Lady accompanied her husband to Dallas, Texas, dressed in a pink Chanel-style suit that was his favorite. Much of her wardrobe, including the pink suit, came from the New York boutique Chez Ninon, where a young seamstress, an Irish immigrant named Kate, worked behind the scenes to meticulously craft the memorable outfits. While the two never met, Kate knew every tuck and pleat needed to create the illusion of the First Lady's perfection. And when the pink suit becomes infamous, Kate's already fragile world - divided between the excess and artistry of Chez Ninon and the traditional values of her insular neighborhood - threatens to rip apart.

The Pink Suit is a fascinating look at politics, fashion, and some of the most glamorous women in history, seen through the eyes of a young woman caught in the midst of an American breed of upstairs/downstairs class drama.

©2014 Nicole Mary Kelby (P)2014 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Luxuriate in shades of pink, in descriptions of haute couture so exquisite and precise that you can feel elegant just by reading the words. Nicole Mary Kelby has stitched together from scraps of facts a compelling novel, a lovable heroine, and a living neighborhood in its last few moments of innocence. From its startling opening to its poignant ending, The Pink Suit shows us that behind events of global significance, there are unknown individuals worthy of our interest." (Susan Vreeland, author of Clara and Mr. Tiffany and Luncheon of the Boating Party)

What happened?

I loved this book, the descriptions of the fabrics brought me to tears. The story was full of emotion until the end and it just felt flat.

Beautiful!

This is my second time listening to this recording. I love being immersed into the back rooms of vintage fashion. I particularly enjoyed the sewing details of how the suit was produced. I was about 5 years old when this all took place, totally caught up in the world of Barbie and her runway clothing, but I remember that day.

Just Beautiful

I enjoyed this book so much more than I had anticipated. The reader was fantastic! This book gives you the feels from start to finish.

I didn’t want the story to end … although I knew it had to and would.

A wonderful retelling of a moment when time appeared to be almost innocent and stand still.
When pride of creation was valued over speed of productivity.

I enjoyed all the descriptive nuances of the garment from the inspiration of design, the creation of the fabric, and the painstaking process of piecing all the elements together with a love story wrapped around it.

But, then all love stories come to an end. Whether it’s by death, divorce, or disillusion all love stories come to an end. They never really teach you that in fairytales.

A profoundly beautiful story narrated exquisitely. You cannot really ask for anything more on a frosty Monday in New England.

If You Are a Sewer--Read This Story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book. It is just lush with texture. As a sewer, I loved the descriptions of the fabrics, the hand work, and the personal passion and pride that go into couture sewing. It also provides a good description of the way young women in the garment industry (well, actually most work) were taken advantage of.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Kate, the Irish seamstress, was my favorite because it really is through her eyes that the story unfolds. I also liked the presentation of burgeoning ideas of independence by women. Kate wants her own career, and she believes she can make it happen.

Which character – as performed by Gabrielle de Cuir – was your favorite?

It was just great fun to listen to the sisters of Chez Ninon!

Engaging, Dreamlike and Fascinating

This was a hard book to listen to for me. It was about the time, fictionalized, but the real struggles of people who were neither great, nor perfect, but very real and imaginable. It was about the two years prior to my birth, the third of December, 1963, mere days after the President, John Kennedy was shot in Dallas. This is not about the first family, nor that moment, but the moment leading up to it by a woman who helped create the suit that Mrs. Kennedy wore, the day of the assassination. It is about love, but not fanciful love, nor perfect relationships, real love. Change, what is just and not just and looks at life through the eyes of an immigrant who speaks in the language of fabric, fashion and timeless beauty.

I was charmed, cried and felt through the perfectly pitched and exacting narration that was free of over exaggeration, or judgement. It was a telling of this story in a voice I found well suited to the story.

I want more, from this author, the narrator, more. I recommend it happily to anyone who dreams of a future for the world with less hate, but knows there will be pain in life. It is a realistic tale and well told.

Great book

Where does The Pink Suit rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Loved this book. Interesting perspective on a historical event we know so well. Such vivid descriptions of fabrics and designs you could almost see them.

Good story that becomes tedious

I’m a sewer so I loved the details about the fabric and the art that goes into haute couture. I liked the story about Kate and Patrick, but I got so sick of hearing about the suit. I get it about the suit, but the story could have been more interesting. The end was a bit disappointing. I wanted more for them. They just seemed so sad. The entire story was just sad.

A Good Hook

The author employs a great hook to get you to read this book! The pink suit, the iconic Jackie O suit that she wore home after the assassination of her husband, plays figurely in this book, but more so does the love story between the Irish dressmaker and the Irish butcher in the Inwood, neighborhood of Manhattan and the raspberry, boucle suit that ties them all together.

Just doesn't come together

A good narrator can't quite bring this story to life. There is some fascinating historical information woven into the story and some truly interesting detail about the creation of couture fashion. The writing is fine, but something is missing.....maybe a story to bring the factual and historical detail to life.