First ladies' inaugural dresses set the tone for presidency

[Zeno Swijtink]

First ladies' inaugural dresses set the tone for presidency
By CLIFFORD PUGH Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
Jan. 16, 2009, 3:14PM



Associated Press file
Jacqueline Kennedy came up with the concept for her inaugural gown.

Best and worst inauguration gowns
Michelle Obama is already a fashion icon, so it was surprising that she didn’t announce her inaugural gown designer long before the event, like some other recent first ladies.

But who could blame her for waiting until the very last moment in an attempt to get it right?

What she wears will be dissected, debated, widely photographed and eventually enshrined in the Smithsonian Institution.

“It is the picture image that goes around the world to represent America,” said Kay King, who oversees the fashion-design program at Houston Community College. “Clothes always send a message.”

Through their choice of inaugural outfits, first ladies have often offered subtle clues about how their spouse plans to govern. In 1961, Jacqueline Kennedy’s stylish white gown reflected the youthful and vibrant spirit of the new administration. In 1977, Rosalynn Carter reflected a frugal attitude by wearing the same blue chiffon gown she had worn six years earlier when her husband was sworn in as governor of Georgia. Four years later, Nancy Reagan heralded a return to glamour, extravagance and optimism in an off-the-shoulder James Galanos gown and upswept hairdo.

“It’s the first time you see the first lady in her official capacity, so it’s very interesting to see how she starts off,” said Lisa Kathleen Graddy, curator of the popular First Ladies at the Smithsonian exhibit, which recently opened in the renovated National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. “Whether it’s very formal or of the moment, it gives us some idea of what style the administration will have and what she will be like.”

The gowns also reflect the style of the times. Caroline Harrison’s 1889 gown came with a bustle, and Lady Bird Johnson’s 1965 inaugural gown was bright yellow, reflecting a popular color in the mid-1960s.



Graddy’s favorite is a white silk chiffon embroidered gown trimmed with rhinestones and beads worn by Helen Taft to her husband’s inauguration in 1909 because it was the first inaugural gown donated directly to the Smithsonian by a first lady.



“There’s always something you can learn because, with clothing, we always feel like we get a little insight into who that person is,” Graddy said.

With that in mind, we decided to rate the best and worst inaugural gowns of the past half-century. See if you agree.


Hall of famers

Four first ladies made our Hall of Fame because their choices were impeccable and right for the moment.

It’s not surprising that Jacqueline Kennedy leads the list. She was young and stylish, with a great fashion sensibility. Her penchant
for French designers was criticized during her husband’s campaign, so Kennedy came up with her own concept for an inaugural gown. It was made by Ethel Frankau at Bergdorf Goodman.
The off-white sleeveless gown of silk chiffon with a beaded overblouse and floor-sweeping cape remains the style standard for first ladies.

Mamie Eisenhower was never thought of as a style icon, but the pink silk gown dotted with thousands of pink rhinestones that she wore to the 1953 inaugural ball is a fashion winner.



The gown, designed by Nettie Rosenstein, had a quintessential 1950s silhouette, with an off-the-shoulder neckline, a fitted deep-V bodice and full skirt cinched at the waist. Matching pink opera gloves completed the look. It’s a vintage style that even now looks up-to-date. The color, which was known as “Mamie pink,” became the iconic shade of the decade.



Barbara Bush had a reputation as a grandmotherly figure when her husband took office in 1989, but she proved that grandmothers can be fashionable. The royal-blue gown with velvet bodice, square neck and diagonal dropped waist designed by Arnold Scaasi is unlike most inaugural gowns.



But it looked striking, elegant and complemented her curves. She accessorized the gown with her trademark pearls.

Franklin Roosevelt never held an inaugural ball during his four terms (March of Dimes charity balls were held instead). But the pink rayon crepe gown trimmed with lace and sequins that his wife, Eleanor Roosevelt, wore to an inaugural reception in 1945 is King’s favorite. (She saw it during a visit to the Smithsonian in 1997.) “It was so beautiful,” King recalled. “She must have looked spectacular in it.”

Mostly misses

In 1977, Rosalynn Carter infuriated the U.S. fashion industry by recycling a blue chiffon evening gown and sleeveless coat trimmed with gold embroidery that she had worn during her husband’s gubernatorial celebration.



Designed by Mary Matise for Jimmae, Carter had purchased it off-the-rack at a Georgia store. While some found the gesture a sign that the Carters were regular folks, others found it inappropriate for the nation’s first lady to scrimp on her special day. Carter’s gesture might have worked if the gown was special, but it wasn’t.

Nancy Reagan went the opposite route in 1981 in a couture gown by legendary designer James Galanos. The white one-shoulder lace satin sheath with crystal and bugle beads was deemed “too Hollywood” by critics who carped that Reagan shouldn’t be so lavish as the economy was headed into recession.



But she believed it was time to return glamour to the White House. For her husband’s second inauguration in 1985, she wore another Galanos creation — a white chiffon gown dotted with Austrian and Czechoslovakian glass beads that took more than 300 hours to apply by hand.



In 1965, Lady Bird Johnson found Jackie Kennedy a tough act to follow. Her A-line gown by John Moore, in a yellow-rose-of-Texas color, was criticized by observers who were mesmerized by Kennedy’s style.



It’s a classic look that is not all that different from what Kennedy had worn, although yellow is a color that is hard for anyone to pull off.

The late 1960s was one of fashion’s most cutting-edge times, so Pat Nixon looked hopelessly outdated in a gold and silver gown made of mimosa silk satin, adorned with Austrian crystals, by Karen Stark for Harvey Berin that she wore to her husband’s 1969 inauguration.



Most improved

For their husband’s first inaugurations, both Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush were loyal to little-known designers.


In 1993, Clinton relied on New York designer Sarah Phillips for a violet beaded gown with a blue-velvet silk overskirt.




In 2001, Bush turned to Dallas-based Michael Faircloth for a red Chantilly lace gown with a scooped neckline. Both colors were vibrant, but the designs were dowdy “mother-of-the-bride” creations, and the reviews were less than flattering.

Both first ladies learned the second time around. Each picked a design by Oscar de la Renta, one of the American fashion industry’s foremost designers. De la Renta designed a sparkling gold-embroidered gown with flared skirt and a sheer bodice for Clinton in 1997. Reviewers called it “sexy and sleek.”



He designed an ice-blue and silver embroidered tulle V-neck gown with a matching coat for Bush in 2005. It, too, won raves as “youthful and feminine” and “the epitome of good taste.”



Both first ladies also looked more fetching at their husband’s second swearing-in ceremonies. Clinton ditched a checked suit and a hat that looked like a flying saucer from the first inauguration for a smartly cut coral dress and matching coat. At the first inauguration, Bush wore a peacock-blue coat that fell to mid-calf; the second time around, she wore a winter-white cashmere coat and matching dress, also designed by de la Renta,
that was stylish and photogenic.



When it comes to fashion, perhaps practice really does make perfect.

[email protected]