History of Inauguration Fashion

Did you know that it was Michelle Obama

who was the First Lady to wear red at an inauguration ball,

or that it was Jackie Kennedy who had to convince the world

that it was okay for a First Lady to wear a strapless dress?

Ahead of Monday s inauguration,

here are three of my favorite looks of all time

and why they matter.

My first favorite look is Eleanor Roosevelt

and her inauguration gown from 1933.

So Eleanor Roosevelt actually had four inauguration gowns,

and that s because FDR is the only president

to have four terms.

My favorite of her dresses was her first,

this gorgeous, sumptuously minimalistic dress

in this bias-cut blue satin fabric

from the designer Sally Milgrim.

What I love about this dress is that it feels so ahead

of its time and really typifies the fashionable look

of the 1930s.

Think goddess dresses, satin dresses worn

by Hollywood starlets in Hollywood s Golden Age.

No list about First Lady fashion would be complete

without Jackie Kennedy.

Jackie Kennedy s dress that she wore

to the 1961 inauguration is hands down one

of my absolute favorites.

This dress was custom from a designer, Ethel Frankau.

What I love about this dress

is that it s actually a strapless dress.

Jackie was the first First Lady

to actually wear a strapless dress,

but she didn t think the public was ready for it just yet,

so over this gorgeous satin columnar dress

that had all this bead work and silver embroidery

was this ivory layer of chiffon.

So, yes, Jackie was wearing a strapless dress,

but she was also covered at the same time.

My third and final favorite First Lady inauguration dress

is the one that Michelle Obama wore

and designed by Jason Wu.

But it s not the one you re probably thinking of.

I actually am highlighting the second Jason Wu dress

that she wore to the 2013 inauguration

because it was this vibrant color red.

Prior to that, most First Ladies were wearing dusty pinks,

blues, lots of ivories, some yellows,

but no one was bold enough to wear a vibrant dress

like the one that Michelle Obama wore.

And Michelle Obama remains the only First Lady

to have worn such a vibrant red color

to her inauguration ball.

The two subsequent First Ladies, Melania Trump

and Dr. Jill Biden, both wore white on their big nights.

So looking ahead to what Melania might wear on Monday,

I have my predictions.

I think she ll follow in the footsteps of Michelle Obama

and opt for a really vibrant color for her dress.

So I m predicting we re gonna see Melania step out

in something really colorful and saturated.

I don t know. What do you think?