One man’s trash can become another man’s treasure. But that treasure may turn out to be a gown designed by none other than Jacqueline Kennedy’s personal dressmaker.
Kansas Michalke, a content creator and mother of two in Austin, Texas, said she has always had a knack for finding hidden gems while thrifting.
”[My family] “I was never wealthy,” she told Fox News Digital. “My mom was a single mom, my dad was a single dad, and we had garage sales…and that’s what I grew up with.”
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“We never really cared about designers or brand names or anything like that,” she said.
“We were just simple little country folk. [would] Go to the clearance section or thrift store immediately. It was never embarrassing. And I always liked having different things. ”
Kansas Michalke said she has always loved thrifting and can easily find what she’s looking for, but this time she might have found something even more: a vintage Oleg Cassini dress. (Kansas Michalke)
Michalke was nearing the end of her shopping trip when she spotted a bright, shiny evening dress.
“When I ran the last lap, I saw the sparkle on the dress and thought, ‘Oh my god, this would be so fun to dress up and play with,’ and just threw it in the cart,” Michalke recalled.
“I didn’t look at the label. I didn’t look at anything. I was thinking, ‘My girls are going to love this. I hope it’s a good fit.'”
It wasn’t until Michalke grabbed her husband’s steering wheel and climbed into the passenger seat that she knew she had found something special.
Michalke, who lives in Texas, was making one last lap through her local Goodwill store when a sparkly pink evening dress caught her eye. (Kansas Michalke)
“If you enter [the designer’s] When the name Jackie Kennedy came up, I thought, “No way, this is crazy.” And from that time I began serious research on Oleg Cassini. [discovered] How iconic he was,” Michalke said.
Michalke had purchased a vintage dress designed by Oleg Cassini.
Ticket price was $15.
While the glitz and glamor of the dress first caught Michalke’s attention, she also noted the craftsmanship of the dress, particularly the sequin work and two-size pearl details.
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She continued to dig deeper into Oleg Cassini’s work and life, discovering connections to Old Hollywood starlets like Grace Kelly.
But it was Cassini’s relationship with Jackie Kennedy that truly cemented Cassini’s place in fashion history.
The Austin-based content creator said she didn’t read the label on the gown until she got in her car to leave the Goodwill store where she purchased it. In the end, she felt, she was shocked by what she discovered. (Kansas Michalke)
According to French fashion magazine L’Officiel, the fashionable former first lady even called him her “style secretary.”
Cassini was Jackie Kennedy’s chief fashion designer. He also designed the gown she wore to her husband John Kennedy’s presidential inauguration in 1961, according to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.
Cassini died in 2006 and was “the oldest living fashion designer in the history of American design,” according to the biography in the museum’s digital archives.
Kennedy and his wife are photographed leaving the White House to attend a series of inaugural balls on January 20, 1961, in Washington, D.C., the day John F. Kennedy was inaugurated as the 35th President of the United States. . Five venues were booked to accommodate the huge crowd that wanted to attend. The first women’s dresses were designed by Oleg Cassini. (Getty Images)
Michalke shared her Cassini finds on social media, and many users told her about their Cassini-branded clothing, but the Texas mom’s gown was a little different.
“What I found was different because my dress wasn’t mass-produced. You can’t find that dress anywhere online,” she said.
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“Judging from the way it’s tagged, it’s definitely from the ’80s or earlier.” [is] I know it’s from the 80’s or earlier, since it’s hand sewn and machine stitching wasn’t used until the 90’s, but I can’t find anything else. ”
A tag that appeared to be hand-sewn revealed the date of the dress, leading Michalke to believe it was designed in the late 70s or early 80s. (Kansas Michalke)
She began researching the tag and discovered that the dress could be part of Cassini’s “Black Tie Collection.”
Michalke said she tried to find other styles similar to Cassini’s dress, but couldn’t find anything similar to her sparkling dress.
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“We can’t find anything like it, so we think that’s what makes it even more special. Potentially like a one-off item? Maybe a runway item? No. I don’t know,” she added.
Although Michalke would like to learn more about the dress someday and understand its actual value, she is primarily interested in wearing it when playing dress-up with her daughters.
Michalke loves playing dress-up with her two daughters in new dresses, and she hopes to pass that on to her daughters someday. (Kansas Michalke)
“My 4-year-old Memphis is obsessed with fashion, and her exact words were, ‘Mommy, this is iconic,'” Michalke said with a laugh.
What made the $15 find even more exciting was that the moment Michalke tried on the dress, it fit like a glove.
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Michalke said he values the phrase “boycotting is boring.” And this gem is definitely not boring.
Her love for thrifting and finding great items at Goodwill inspired her to write a money-saving guide for others filled with tips and tricks on how to find exactly what you want when it’s on the clearance racks. became.
A mother from Texas paid just $15 for this vintage haute couture dress designed by Oleg Cassini, a favorite designer of Grace Kelly and Jacqueline Kennedy. (Kansas Michalke)
“I’m convinced there are no bad thrift stores. I go to thrift stores even though I’ve never met them.” [at] “We have used real estate sales at least four times a week,” she said.
A representative from Goodwill Industries International told Fox News Digital that staff loves hearing from Goodwill customers about when they find “exciting and unusual pieces like this.” .
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“This is meant to show you the beauty of thrifting, and you can find almost anything at Goodwill. It’s truly a treasure hunt in every store,” a representative said.
“One of the great things about shopping here is that each piece has a past and sometimes a really great story behind it. I hope she loves this iconic find .”
Fox News Digital has also reached out to Oleg Cassini’s brand for comment.
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