One thing that’s always in style? Graciousness and courtesy. The proof? These timeless handwritten thank-you letters from former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, which, among a few dozen pieces of Onassis’s personal memorabilia will be auctioned off in West Palm Beach, Florida on Saturday.
Palm Beach Modern Auctions
The trove of correspondence came together with the help of three consigners: interior designer Richard Keith Langham, the photographer in residence during the Kennedy years, Bob Davidoff, and former design director of Carolina Herrera Bill Hamilton.
But it’s their personal collections as a whole that brings out the Jackie O. spirit, explains Rico Baca, auctioneer and co-owner of Palm Beach Modern Auctions, where the items will go up for sale.
“The one thing that all three of these people have in common is that you can’t do someone’s clothing or someone’s interiors or take their photograph consistently without them being vulnerable,” Baca tells PEOPLE. “Her letters talk about her appreciation for what people did for her. It’s a reflection of her style in the sense that it was old-school, that she wrote thank-you notes, that she was appreciative of people who were in service to her.”
RELATED PHOTOS: Never-before-seen pictures of Jackie Kennedy on her wedding day!
The letters, scribed in pen on colorful stationary and legal pads, expressed heartfelt gratitude to her recipients in a classic “Jackie O.” old-school style.
“What an eye you have — and how lucky I am to be its beneficiary,” she wrote in one of her letters to Richard Langham.
But the style icon, who died in 1994, was not shy to mention her honest opinions regarding certain styles or garments.
“I just love this suit and will wear it everywhere as I am so sick of everyone constantly in black,” Onassis wrote to Bill Hamilton, former design director at Carolina Herrera.
One funny detail? The fashion icon wasn’t a fan of shoulder pads.
“There used to be a cinnamon suede overcoat that went with the long fur vest. It was lined with silk — it closed with little ties you knotted. You could wear it by itself on warmer days. I gave it away years ago because there was no room for anything with shoulder pads,” Onassis wrote to Hamilton.
Dying to add these notes to your personal correspondence collection? Starting bids will hover around $800 to $1,200, Baca estimates.
To see the rest of the collection and information about how to bid, click here and tell us: Would you want to own a personal note from Onassis? How beautiful is that stationery?
–Jacqueline Andriakos
