When the Secret Service sternly told former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, “Mrs. Kennedy, we have to go now,” just days after her husband, President John F. Kennedy, was shot and killed, she stood stoically in a white dress, smoking a cigarette, turned and replied, “Don’t call me Mrs. Kennedy. Just call me Jackie.” It was that scene of demanding strength and resolution from the Jackie documentary that gave Amber Duncan goose bumps.
LOCALS AND CLIENTS ARE WELCOMED TO STOP BY JACKIE'S HEADQUARTERS AND SHOWROOM IN BRADENTON FOR AN IN-PERSON, PRIVATE IN-HOUSE FITTING/STYLING APPOINTMENT. PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN
“It was so powerful it gave me chills,” she says. Those chills became a catalyst that would come to define the entire name and brand of her personal styling service and subscription box, Jackie. “It was like this sliding door moment for me that I realized this is how we want women to feel,” says Duncan. “Jackie Kennedy’s style and confidence, the way she carried herself, her class and charisma without having to say a word, she captured a room. She was an international fashion icon.” To reach this point, however, Duncan had to hit a frustrating threshold with the already existing subscription boxes out there, ones that relied on a basic algorithm to decipher which styles and brands to mail to you. But none of them delivered, figuratively speaking. “I test-trialed every subscription box out there and never connected with any,” she says. “I couldn’t get into the clothes that were picked out for me. So, I decided to start my own for women like me that wanted a true personal concierge service—not one based on results from an algorithm.”
JACKIE HQ ALSO HOSTS MONTHLY IN-HOUSE NETWORKING AND SOCIAL EVENTS FOR THEIR SUBSCRIBERS AND COMMUNITY. PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN
Duncan wanted to ensure the Jackie box would never miss the mark for anyone and would be the wardrobe vehicle for auspicious women everywhere—whether a stay-at-home mom, an executive of a Fortune 500 company, an Instagram blogger or socialite, an elusive artist, a teacher in a classroom or a lawyer in a courtroom. Jackie’s signature orange box reaches postal codes nationwide from just about every locale—different seasonal climates, different desires and everyday essentials. One subscriber may request a puffy warm coat and a chic pair of boots for the cold, while another is looking for a flowy date-night dress and a pair of heels. Regardless of temperature, career or occasion, each box comes tailored uniquely to the client’s lifestyle and style preferences—selected by one of Jackie’s seven in-house stylists chosen specifically for them.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN.
Once a client fills out an application and the team reviews it, a Jackie stylist best suited to the client’s closet is assigned to them based on their application answers/preferences and social media photo. (Are they wearing boho rompers and beach coverups in their pics or professional blazers and power pantsuits?) That stylist then connects with them on a one-on-one level to really get to know them and their day-to-day routine to curate a personalized, handpicked selection of apparel.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN
“People crave to be heard,” says Duncan. “to be understood and to be provided a true, personal service.” After pinning down the style of a subscriber, the stylist pulls from Jackie’s rolodex of 40 to 50 revered brands, boutiques and designers across the US to accommodate every style, from chic basics to playful trends. Duncan and her team do extensive research, study editorials, order samples to the Bradenton headquarters for trial and wear, and travel around the country to visit boutiques and meet the owners to personally vet and select their preferred vendors.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN
Two to three times a year they also attend trade shows and expos to select pieces for the upcoming season—not likely found on the racks of department stores for the general public. “The lines we carry have more to do with quality over quantity, the texture, the clothes in and of themselves, and also the brand story,” says Duncan. “We look at how it got started, where and how it’s made. I’m a big believer in where brands are birthed and come to life. We really research and connect with the owners of the brand, make sure items are packable without getting wrinkled or ruined, that they are timeless and in style. We have a very high bar set for the brands that we allow in here.”
That’s why clients look forward to coming home to open their orange Jackie package—either monthly or quarterly—and to try on the new custom outfits they’d be unable to find in Nordstrom or on any of their co-workers or friends. “There’s a certain special exclusivity of not looking like everyone else in your neighborhood,” Duncan says. “While we crave community, we also crave individuality.” SRQ
To find out about upcoming events or sign up for subscription styling, check out shopjackie.com or @shop.jackie. Jackie HQ, 816 Manatee Ave. E, Suite 200, Bradenton.
