The evolution of the mordern First Ladies ….Jackie O,Betty Ford and Nancy

 

First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and Pres. John F. Kennedy

Every four years the American public gets elect and celebrate the election of the president. It is an exciting and inspirational time for the country. For Fashion junkies anticipation of  the First Lady’s inaugural gown is almost too much to contain. What the First Lady wears to the inaugural ball is  significant because, in a sense, it is her introduction to the nation and the world.

Jacqueline Kennedy's Inaugural Gown 1961 off-white sleeveless gown in chiffon

Jackie O is known as the First Lady who became a fashion icon. A style that can be described as elegant, simple and all American, Kennedy is the iconic modern First Lady. According to Valerie Steele of New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology in a CBS segment on First Lady Inaugural Gowns,  her choice of fashion, seen as daring at the time, was somewhat criticized throughout the campaign.

” What you see with the inaugural gown is the triumph of her own personal style,” says Steele, “To use fashion as a way of representing her husband’s presidency – to look modern, elegant, simple and American. This is a very, very classic, a perfect kind of ceremonial dress for the president’s wife.”- CBS

According the Smithsonian, Ethel Frankau of Bergdorf Custom Salon designed and made the dress based on sketches and suggestions from Mrs. Kennedy. It was worn with a matching cape.

First Lady Betty Ford and Pres. Gerald Ford

Described as “outspoken” and “candid” by historians, Betty was thrust into the role of First Lady on August 8, 1974 after the resignation of Pres. Nixon as a result of  the Watergate scandal, and her husband became the 38th president. According to her Biography on The Gerald Ford Museum website after studying dance and performing with an Auxiliary Performance Troupe in New York City at Carnegie Hall, Ford return to her home town of Grand Rapids Mich. where she became fashion coordinator for Herpolsheimer’s, a locally prominent department store. Her expertise in fashion helped her ease into a the role of a modern-day fashion conscious First Lady.

Betty Ford wore this pale-green sequined chiffon gown embroidered in a chrysanthemum pattern to state dinners at the White House for the shah of Iran in 1975

“Since there were no formal inaugural celebrations when Gerald Ford became president, Mrs. Ford chose this dress, in her favorite shade of green, to represent her in the Smithsonian’s collection.”-Betty Ford: An Unusual Introduction- The Smithsonian

First Lady Nancy Reagan and Pres. Ronald Regan

Portrayed as classically chic and  known for wearing her infamous ” Regan Red,” Nancy Reagan is a style icon all her own. Though not described as  particularly flamboyant or out spoken, by most accounts her style was and is still seen as timeless and elegant.

“She is not fashionable simply by her chic choices in clothing, but by her thoughts and outlook on style which coincide with her impeccable taste. For example, she was criticized for some of her clothing being so expensive, but she was so committed to her style that she wore the clothes regardless of their comments and later donated them to charity. Now, that is true style, confidence and fashion combined.”- Kristen Wilingham- First Lady Examiner

Nancy Reagan wore this white beaded one-shouldered sheath gown of lace over silk satin to the 1981 inaugural ball.

According to the Smithsonian Nancy’s  was designed by James Galanos, who also designed the one-shouldered white gown Mrs. Reagan wore to her husband’s first gubernatorial inaugural ball. In interviews, Galanos said that he wanted to make Mrs. Reagan look glamorous, “… elegant and in keeping with the new formality.”

Eager to see more fashion choices of the modern First Ladies…stay tuned!!! Hilary, Laura and Michelle will either blow you away for leave you very disappointed…after all not every Fist Lady can be a Fashion Icon…

First Lady Fashion at the the Smithsonian

The First Ladies at the Smithsonian is an exhibit at the National Museum of American History that features 14 gowns and over 90 other objects, including china and jewelry, that have been collected by the Smithsonian over the past hundred years. According to Megan Smith,educator on the First Ladies exhibition, the gowns collected belonged not only to First Ladies but also women who acted as the official White House hostess during presidential administrations. Though most times hostesses were the wives of the president, there have been moments in our history where the president chose a family member or friend to act as his hostess. The oldest gown in the collection belongs to Martha Washington.

Martha Washington wore this silk taffeta gown in the early 1780s.

Though every presidential administration is represented in the exhibit, some of the articles of clothing donated to the Smithsonian by the First Lady or official hostess are not inaugural gowns. The Smithsonian simply requests that the First Lady donates something to represent her in the collection. However, it has become tradition for that item to be the inaugural ball gown.

Frances Cleveland wore this silk evening gown with fur-edged hem and black-satin-and-jet trim during her husband’s second administration.

The Smithsonian creates custom-made mannequins to fit and support the gown that simulates the body type of the First Lady or official hostess. Smith says, the Smithsonian does not alter the gowns.

Julia Grant wore this white silk evening gown in the early 1870s.

” Early donations were informal affairs and often happened after the first lady had left the White House. Modern gown presentations are staged media events publicizing both the Smithsonian and the first lady.”- The Tradition of the Gowns

Helen Taft in her inaugural ball gown, 1909 Courtesy of Library of Congress

First Lady Helen Taft is credited with starting the tradition of the First Lady donating the inaugural Ball gown, when she chose to donate the gown she wore to her husband’s 1909 inauguration. This set the precedent for future First Ladies. However oldest inaugural gown in the collection belonged to Andrew Jackson’s niece, Emily Donelson, who wore it to his 1829 inaugural ball.

Helen Taft 1909 inaugural ball gown is made of white silk chiffon.

 

Michelle Obama makes Vogue’s ‘Best Dressed List’ of 2010

Vogue Magazine Cover

The First Lady’s style has been admired from the time she was thrust onto the political scene as the wife of then presidential hopeful, Barack Obama.  The First Lady of style in politics has since been featured in countless fashion magazines and TV shows. On November 15 Vogue became the latest fashion magazine to feature Michelle Obama, naming her No. 3 on their Best Dressed of 2010 list.

Michelle Obama

Andre Leon Talley: Former editor-at-large of Vogue

“Style is not an afterthought to this wife and mother committed to national service; whether she is frolicking on the White House lawn in Converse or at an awards dinner in Michael Kors scarlet chiffon, she always looks elegant and appropriate to the occasion and to our modern times. Obama has made an interest in and love of fashion — having fun with it, the way it can make one feel good about oneself — accessible to all. But beyond her wardrobe, it is her confidence, sense of purpose, and grace she wears best of all.”