11 of the Most Memorable Fashion Moments in American Political History Inline
Photo: Getty Images1/11Who: Jackie Kennedy
Where/When: White House dinner, 1962
The Look: As First Lady, Kennedy used the power of her personal style to make subtle political statements: She wore a Guy Douvier for Christian Dior to receive the French minister of culture, André Malraux, at a state dinner. Captured on color film, the bubblegum-pink silk shantung gown is emblematic of her girlish elegance.
Photo: Getty Images2/11Who: Shirley Chisholm
Where/When: Announcing Her Presidential Campaign, 1972
The Look: Chisholm was not just the first black woman elected to Congress in 1968, but also the first black female candidate to run for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. She announced her bid in bold, stylish fashion, wearing a modish jacket with a graphic optic print, simple gold jewelry, and cool frames.
Photo: Getty Images3/11Who: Nancy Reagan
Where/When: Ronald Reagan’s First Inauguration, 1981
The Look: In her first appearance as First Lady, Reagan wore an Adolfo dress and coat in her signature hue, “Reagan red,” which arguably helped solidify red as the GOP color. Like Kennedy, Reagan shared a love of color, sharp lines, and, overall, cinematic dressing. She was also known as a close friend and supporter of designers such as Bill Blass, Valentino, and Geoffrey Beene.
Photo: AP Images4/11Who: Ann Richards
Where/When: Democratic National Convention, 1988
The Look: To give the keynote address at the 1988 DNC, then–Texas State Treasurer Ann Richards, who went on to became governor of the Lone Star State, chose a telegenic turquoise suit with ’80s-style exaggerated shoulders and classic pearl jewelry. But her speech, in which she famously quipped that Republican nominee George H. W. Bush was “born with a silver foot in his mouth,” proved that the most stylish thing is biting wit.
Photo: Getty Images5/11Who: Margaret Chase Smith
Where/When: At the Women’s National Press Club announcing her candidacy for President, 1964
The Look: Smith was the queen of firsts: the first woman to serve in both houses of Congress, representing her state of Maine; the first woman to be a candidate for the presidency at a major party convention; and the longest-serving female Senator in history until 2011. When the moderate Republican announced her candidacy—a thoroughly bold move, then and now—she wore a simple black suit, adorned with her trademark single-rose pin. She was way ahead of fashion’s current obsession with this floral motif, campaigning to make the rose the official U.S. flower, which was eventually instated in 1987. Furthermore, her speech at the 1964 RNC very much resonates today: She declared, “When people keep telling you you can't do a thing, you kind of like to try.”
Photo: Getty Images6/11Who: Hillary Clinton
Where/When: Second inaugural Arkansas Ball, 1997
The Look: Clinton, then First Lady, and Oscar de la Renta were close friends; she credited the late designer for helping her take her wardrobe more seriously. ODLR became a favorite for big events: inaugurations, state dinners, her daughter Chelsea’s wedding, her Replica Handbag Store cover. This look particularly embodied the respectful glamor for which he was known; it also set the stage for the remarkable political career of the woman who just may become the first female president of the United States. Fittingly, De la Renta described her as the “perfect example of what a modern woman can accomplish.”
Photo: AP Images7/11Who: Madeleine Albright (with Yasser Arafat)
Where/When: Middle East peace talks, 1999
The Look: Albright, consummate badass secretary of state, used her fashion choices practically—specifically in her choice of brooches that matched strategies in ongoing diplomatic negotiations. She once said of this look with Arafat: “I wore wasps on tough days when I wanted to do a little stinging and deliver a tough message.” (Small wonder then that she wore a snake coil to meet Saddam Hussein in 1994.)
Photo: AP Images8/11Who: Condoleezza Rice
Where/When: Wiesbaden Army Airfield, 2005
The Look: In the second month of her turn as secretary of state—the first woman of color to hold that post—she picked a nontraditional way of projecting her power: a Matrix-style all-black look paired with, it must be said, sultry dominatrix-style boots. This authoritative choice was arguably a decisive response to being the only female in the room, as she often was, and the most commanding figure, regardless of gender, at that.
Photo: Getty Images9/11Who: Michelle Obama
Where/When: Barack Obama’s First Inaugural Ball, 2009
The Look: Michelle Obama was never not going to be an insanely chic First Lady, but her Jason Wu one-shouldered, flower-appliqué white gown for the first Inaugural Ball in 2009 set the bar high. The dress certainly added magic to the moment she and her husband, President Obama, slow-danced to Beyoncé singing Etta James’s “At Last,” setting the tone for the many elegant looks that were to come. She’s been widely admired for her versatile personal style ever since, and has the chameleonlike ability to move between formal White House events and a more casual milieu—think jumping in the back of a car and doing carpool karaoke—without missing a sartorial beat.
Photo: Getty Images10/11Who: Wendy Davis
Where/When: Texas State Senate, 2013
The Look: A little-known then-Texas state senator, Davis performed a filibuster to protest an anti-abortion bill and became a hero to pro-choicers across the country. She paired a floral Erdem dress and an Escada coat—that masked her back brace—with pink Mizuno sneakers. The running shoes were not just a means to standing on her feet for 11 straight hours, they also became a style signature of a new political legend.
Photo: Getty Images11/11Who: Huma Abedin
When/Where: Glamour Women of the Year Awards, 2015
The Look: With her striking looks, political savoir faire, and infamous husband, Abedin has long been a source of fascination. But one thing remains true of HRC’s closest advisor: The woman knows how to dress. Here, she accessorized her plaid dress with a custom-made Edie Parker clutch that read: “HRC 2016”—what else?
