The next thirteen years of her life were spent in Jackie’s service, during which Kathy not only played a crucial role in raising young Caroline and John Jr., but also had a front-row seat to some of the twentieth century’s most significant events.īecause Kathy was always at Jackie’s side, Rose Kennedy deemed her “Jackie’s girl.” And although Kathy called Jackie “Madam,” she considered her employer more like a big sister who, in many ways, mentored her on how to be a lady. In 1964, Kathy McKeon was just nineteen and newly arrived from Ireland when she was hired as the personal assistant to former first lady Jackie Kennedy. “Celebrity watchers who covet an insider’s role will find McKeon’s frank yet benevolent memoir to be both a sobering reality check and an engaging foray into the ever-fascinating world of the Kennedy dynasty.” -BooklistĪn endearing coming-of-age memoir by a young woman who spent thirteen years as Jackie Kennedy’s personal assistant and occasional nanny-and the lessons about life and love she learned from the glamorous first lady. “McKeon's delightful memories have been tucked away for fifty years, and thankfully, she has brought them out to share the enchanting magic of Camelot with us all.” -Kirkus Reviews “No one would have ever guessed.⚠️ This book will unfortunately be removed from the service on the 14th of May. “More intriguing to me was the quarter-inch lift affixed to one heel on each pair of shoes, apparently meant to compensate for one leg being slightly shorter than the other,” she wrote. According to McKeon, all of Kennedy’s footwear had exactly a quarter-inch lift on just one heel, designed with a very specific purpose. The author went on to reveal one little-known fact about all those shoes, giving away the late First Lady’s footwear secret. “I had never seen such a dazzling selection of shoes! London-look boots, pumps in every color, spotless sneakers for morning jogs around the reservoir.” “The bedroom walk-in closet was jam-packed with Madam’s everyday clothing, all arranged according to color,” McKeon writes in her book, Jackie’s Girl: My Life With the Kennedy Family ($17).

Now, we’re getting a behind-the-scenes peek at the former First Lady‘s sartorial secrets thanks to a memoir written by her longtime assistant, Kathy McKeon. More than 20 years after her death, Jackie Kennedy, like Audrey Hepburn, maintains her status as a style icon, firmly cemented in the history books.

Jackie's Girl by Kathy McKeon