With Trump’s Inauguration, We Have to Ask: Are All Fashion Credits Good Ones?

With Trump’s Inauguration, We Have to Ask: Are All Fashion Credits Good Ones?

On January 20, in Washington, DC, the inauguration for Donald J. Trump’s second presidential term commenced. While the festivities were a celebration for Trump supporters and the Republican Party, many onlookers were invested in the fashion choices of everyone involved.

Historically, the fashion choices of presidents, vice presidents, and their first and second ladies have been regarded as integral pieces of the picture each presidency is painting. President Barack Obama’s tan suit famously sent the Republican Party into a fury over its purported casual nature. And first lady Michelle Obama admitted to using straightened hair to appear more palatable while serving as the first Black family in the White House. Every fashion detail from inauguration to their end of term is being examined. Fashion has always been regarded as a pivotal pillar of presidential storytelling, and one where there is no room for repetition. First lady Rosalynn Carter chose to re-wear a dress she’d already worn to her husband Jimmy Carter’s 1977 inaugural ball, which generated some backlash from the American people. No matter the year, every sartorial choice can be seen as a poignant response to the world in front of us.

US President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush greet presidentelect Barack Obama and his wife Michelle November...

MANDEL NGAN/Getty Images

So it’s clear why the first and second ladies’ roles in an inauguration is that of sartorial importance. First lady Melania Trump’s outfit piqued the most interest at the 2025 inauguration, with many acknowledging the socially distanced circumference of her Eric Javits boater hat. The size and reach of the hat soon became a meme after a video surfaced of President Trump being unable to kiss her cheek because of it. Melania’s suit was from American designer Adam Lippes. Lippes worked at Polo Ralph Lauren in 1995; he then worked for Oscar de la Renta, and became their global creative director. From 1996 to 2003, Lippes worked closely with de la Renta in different parts of the company, focusing on the design and marketing side as well as business development.

Incoming second lady Usha Vance wore a custom peony cashmere coat with a scarf wrap and a matching tea-length dress from Oscar de la Renta to the inauguration. De la Renta is a Dominican-born designer that launched his namesake brand in New York City. His career notably took off in the 1960s for being one of the design houses that dressed former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy. The luxury brand is no stranger to dressing first and second ladies.

Designers have always been heavily involved in the process of presidential showmanship. Does the who and why matter? De la Renta, who passed away in 2014, has spoken candidly about the fashion choices of first ladies in the past. In 2011 he criticized Michelle Obama for wearing an Alexander McQueen gown to a state dinner, claiming that “if the visit was to promote American-Chinese trade — American products in China and Chinese products in America — why do you wear European clothes?” He made that statement in 2011, but Michelle, after six years of being the first lady, finally decided to wear Oscar de la Renta in 2014, and again in 2016. Her decision to include Oscar de la Renta in her sartorial rolodex highlights a shift in how brands were interacting with her, and in turn her husband’s presidency, no matter what the origins.


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