Dinner is Served

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at a State Dinner

Jacqueline Kennedy, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, John F. Kennedy standing (© AP)

India’s Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his daughter, Indira Gandhi, arrive at the White House with President John F. Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy November 7, 1961. (© AP)

India’s Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his daughter, Indira Gandhi, arrive at the White House with President John F. Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy November 7, 1961. (© AP)

Elbow-length gloves

Jacqueline Kennedy, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, John F. Kennedy standing (Robert L. Knudsen/White House)

President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy enter the White House with Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his daughter, Indira Gandhi, to enjoy a state dinner in their honor. (Gandhi would later become India's third prime minister.) (White House/Robert L. Knudsen/White House Historical Association)

President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy enter the White House with Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his daughter, Indira Gandhi, to enjoy a state dinner in their honor. (Gandhi would later become India's third prime minister.) (White House/Robert L. Knudsen/White House Historical Association)

High-style choice! Jacqueline Kennedy, who popularized the pillbox hat, paired an evening gown with white elbow-length gloves in 1961 for a dinner for Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The maker of the first lady’s gloves, LaCrasia Gloves in New York, later made gloves for pop stars Madonna and the late Michael Jackson.