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| First Ladies of the United States Fashion |
From the beginning of US history, our FLOTUS
(First Ladies of the United States) has often been viewed as a style icon. In honor of the most recent inauguration of Donald & Melania Trump, we are
taking a look back at some First Ladies fashion.
Many First Ladies have left an impact on the
United States and the world; including fashion lovers and the industry. There is no shortage of First Lady style
stories; we’ll start with the late 19th and 20th
century. First lady Dolley Madison was an enthusiast of French fashion; she in turn
influenced American women to embrace the French designs she favored, this trend
started to appear in fashion magazines like Vogue
at the time. Nancy Reagan selected a
gown for the 1981 inaugural ball- generating controversy over the cost of the
gown. The women also found a way to make statements like Nancy Reagan used her signature ‘Reagan
Red’ to show her patriotism, Barbara Bush had her iconic pearls, she also wore a pair of $29 shoes to her
husbands' inaugural ball to demonstrate how down to earth she was and Hilary Clinton made the 'pant suit' her
own, to show who wore the trousers.
However, in our opinion, the two women who have left a lasting impact on
FLOTUS style so far have been Jacqueline Kennedy and Michelle Obama. Most people credit the stylish
Jacqueline Kennedy with bringing high fashion to the attention of the American
public, as First Lady she began to embrace the
American fashion scene. In 1961 Kennedy wore a white silk inaugural ball gown that
she sketched herself with her own ideas.
Michelle
Obama took risks and showcased a range of designers; she chose to show off her
unique style (and her amazing arms) often wearing unknown fashion designers,
which helped put them on the map.
Since the election of Donald Trump is so controversial, it is only natural that the
styling of the First Lady is as well. Melania’s
choice for inauguration day channeled her inner Jackie O, wearing a gorgeous
powder blue cashmere suit designed by American designer Ralph Lauren. The look was classic and chic but also a nod to a
time when “America was Great,” when Jacqueline Kennedy was wearing similar
styles.
Melania’s look for the Inaugural Ball was a
little less controversial. She wore a white off the shoulder dress with a thin
burgundy ribbon as a belt designed by Hervé Pierre, formerly the creative
director of Carolina Herrera.
Although Hervé Pierre was willing to dress
Mrs. Trump, a number of top designers are saying that they will not dress Mrs.
Trump during the Presidency. The list
includes Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford, Christian Siriano, Sophie Theallet, Phillip
Lim, Derek Lam, Humberto Leon, Timo Weiland and Naeem Khan. When talking to Women’s Wear Daily, Marc
Jacobs said, “I have no interest whatsoever in dressing Melania
Trump…Personally, I’d rather put my energy into helping out those who will be
hurt by [Donald] Trump and his supporters”.
Even though the list of designers that won’t
dress Melania seems long, there were also a good number of designers who said
they would be happy to dress the new First Lady. Tommy Hilfiger, Diane Von Furstenberg, Sam and Libby Edelman, Marcus
Wainwright and Thom Browne have all spoken out about feeling comfortable
dressing Mrs. Trump. “Donald Trump was
elected and he will be our president,” Diane
Von Furstenberg said, “Melania deserves the respect of any first lady
before her. Our role as part of the fashion industry is to promote beauty, inclusiveness
[and] diversity. We should each be the best we can be and influence by our
example”.
Some critics are starting to question if
Melania is just a straight up copycat from her plagiarized speech at the
national convention (which was revealed to be taken from Mrs. Obama), to her
look that blatantly mirrored Jacqueline Kennedy’s. Only time will tell with the
ex-model, will Melania’s FLOTUS style be as iconic as Jacqueline Kennedy or
Michelle Obama’s throughout the next four years? To Be Continued...
