Over the past few decades in the United States, the wives of the country’s elected presidents have left their mark (to a greater or lesser extent) not only on politics and culture, but also on fashion. There are people who used it as a powerful tool to convey a message, like Rosalyn Carter or Michelle Obama, but there are also women who, like Nancy Reagan, turned their closets into a museum of haute couture pieces. Able to define the trends of an era And to continue impressing the present, we take a tour Some of the styles of the most influential first ladiesHis most iconic appearance and some curiosities.
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© Getty ImagesJacqueline Kennedy, icon of elegance (1961-1963)
“Jackie Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe, all women one way or another,” they said in the series mad manSet precisely in the sixties. A quote that reflects how the 35th president’s wife and actress was the most powerful fashion reference of the time. Jackie’s classic elegance was the ‘blonde seduction’ contrasted with the glamorous and explosive style. Born into a wealthy family in Southampton, her closet was full of French brands which she gradually replaced with others based in the US when she became First Lady. Although Channel It will always be one of his favorites.
© GTRESHe changed into a double-breasted coat, a suit tweedJacket and skirt suits and those hat pill boxRound and with a high edge, in the most representative piece of your dressing room. This is the pink Chanel made of wool boucle Her most significant outfit, because she wore it the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Texas and didn’t want to take it off until she returned to Washington the next day. It was later revealed that That look was actually an authorized copy Actually made by the Chez Ninon brand, as writer Justin Picardy explains.
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© Getty ImagesAlthough house French was very present in his choice, even more so than Oleg Cassini, designer and friend, was in charge of creating for him. Over 300 looks During his time in the White House. Among them, the dresses with an A-shaped silhouette, with straight and elegant lines, stood out in particular, which she accompanied with gloves and often wore to events.
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© Getty ImagesRosalyn Carter, Practical Style (1977-1981)
In 1977 when the president’s wife Dr Jimmy Carter Appear with that vBlue chiffon and tulle dress with glitter During the inaugural ball with which they celebrated the initiation of his order, much was said about it. And it was a design she had already made a few years earlier, when her husband was appointed senator before becoming president. So it was not common at all The first female recycler looksEspecially important in events like this. but Rosalyn Carter He showed that his time in the White House was not conventional.
© Getty ImagesShe stood out for her active role, being the first woman to have her own office and becoming her husband’s best advisor. A defender of mental health and involved in humanitarian causes, she changed the role of presidential wives until then. He is often criticized for his realistic, somewhat austere style, which is simple clothes with simple lines and not so well-known brands. A Practical ways of dressing, which were sometimes surprising due to fashion use alcohol And it makes sense in the context of a time marked by energy crises and Cold War tensions.
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© Getty Images“Women are the architects of their own lives,” Rosaleen once said, a philosophy she also applied to her wardrobe, making her decisions. I was betting Monochrome setShe avoided the prints of the time and even went so far as to wear high-heeled shoes during a public event, a small revolutionary gesture at the time.
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© Getty ImagesNancy Reagan, Glamor and Haute Couture (1981-1989)
Before becoming First Lady, Nancy was an actress during Hollywood’s golden years, which undoubtedly has something to do with how she landed in the White House. He ordered the replacement of foods with new ones at extra cost and She filled her dressing room with haute couture designsWhich caused as much criticism at first as admiration later. She had close relationships with designers such as Oscar de la Renta, James Galanos and Bill Blass, and her choices were planned in detail, including her hairstyles, as she traveled with her hairdresser whenever. “She lived up to the word ‘style’ every day for eight long years,” ABC News reporter Barbara Walters said at the time.
© Getty ImagesHer gala dresses were iconic, especially which she wore to the inauguration in 1981A bright white design with an asymmetrical strap, created by Galanos. Opulence sometimes marked their appearance, which never lacked fine embroidery, ruffles, or eye-catching jewelry such as pearl necklaces.
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© Getty ImagesAlthough red was undoubtedly a color that marked his dressing room, it became Baptized as Reagan Red. Fierce, bright and powerful, she dominated their dresses, skirt suits and jackets or coats. “It’s not just what you wear. It’s also how you act. She handles them in a very elegant and glamorous way, which should be the first lady of the country,” said her designer Carolina Herrera.
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© Getty ImagesHillary Clinton, From Power to Pragmatism (1993-2001)
Although over the years his style became recognized for his elegant suits, his practical combination of pants and the designs he repeated, when he arrived at the White House he drew attention to the exact opposite. And he chose that one for the inaugural ball. The iconic midnight blue dress Designed by Sarah Phillips, an unconventional lace and chiffon creation.
© Getty Images“My dear Oscar de la Renta has always set himself the huge challenge of being a fashion icon,” the former first lady and future presidential candidate said during the CFDA Awards in 2013. “You could say I defend the trouser suit project”. And it probably is Hillary Clinton’s most representative appearanceA great friend of the designer of Dominican origin. It was though Ralph Lauren The firm, which was in charge of dressing her during her election campaign, managed to attract special attention with the blue she wore when she accepted her nomination in 2016.
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© Getty ImagesThe tones that most often cover his choices are blue, red and white, a United States flag compliance which he used as a stylistic strategy during his candidacy.
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© Getty ImagesMichelle Obama, the breath of modernity (2009-2017)
Unforgettable was the white bridal-inspired dress that Michelle Obama wore to the inauguration, a design with tulle detailing and embroidered flowers signed by Jason Wu that drew as much applause as the sophistication the couple displayed to the public. The lawyer and author, who has been compared to Rosalyn Carter because of her involvement in the White House and the tandem she formed with Barack, stood out during her tenure. A mix of luxury clothing and affordable brandsThese include J.Crew, Gap and Target.
© Getty ImagesVibrant colors were one of the innovations she brought to fashion as First Lady Intense fuchsias, oranges, yellows, turquoises appear… He is also not afraid of striking or geometric prints, challenging the classicism traditionally associated with his position.
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© Getty ImagesHer interest in fashion carried her through those years Supporting emerging designers Like Jason Wu, Narciso Rodriguez or Thakun Panichgul, using their designs on relevant actors.
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© Getty ImagesMelania Trump, Fashion of Contrasts (2017-2021 and Present)
Unlike his predecessors, the former model avoided actively engaging in political or legislative debates, remaining a symbolic rather than executive figure during his presidency. Donald Trump. And now that the businessman is back in power, it seems likely that he will follow the same line, since it seems that for the moment he does not plan to move full-time to the White House. Will we see any significant changes in his style?
© Getty ImagesIn recent years it has left our choices with a luxurious and sophisticated approach, where it has not been limited to American designers. Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein signed some of their formal dresses, but Dior, Givenchy, Valentino and Hervé Pierre, creator of that white opening dress with a bardot neckline, also stand out among their favorites.
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© Getty ImagesHer aesthetic is more in line with the muted luxury trend, with discreet accessories and jewelry, high Louboutin heels and elegant coats or cloth capes. Although it left room for controversial looks, such as a green parka from Zara where the message could be read. I really don’t care, do you? (I really don’t care, do you?) And that she chose during a 2018 visit to a center where children of immigrants who had been separated from their families following her husband’s policies.
