Joe Biden’s inauguration isn’t just a relief in terms of politics. It’s also a relief in terms of style: After four years of Scotch-taped ties and generally upsetting aesthetics, we can finally expect some more appealing visuals. At Biden’s swearing-in ceremony on Wednesday, he, along with Vice President Kamala Harris, their families, and other attendees, gave us our first official glimpse at what the fashion of the Biden years might have in store. And it was pretty spectacular, honestly.
President Biden wore an understated navy suit and overcoat, both by Ralph Lauren, but no surprises here: The women’s outfits were far more worthy of discussion. First lady Jill Biden, in a turquoise-y blue coat and matching dress by Markarian, an up-and-coming American label, partook in one of the big trends of the day, dressing monochromatically. As notable as all the head-to-toe looks in one color were, each woman was able to put her own spin on it, and Jill’s, with her textured wool and darker collar and cuffs, had a touch of fairy-godmother-from-Sleeping Beauty whimsy to it. Both the president and the first lady wore masks as well, a choice that seems like a no-brainer in the pandemic but that certainly has never before been a common sight at an inauguration. In contrast to the super-spreader events of the Trump White House, the sea of masked faces were some kind of relief. The question of how to pair masks with formalwear also introduced a novel challenge here—the first lady led the way by opting for a shade similar to the rest of her outfit.
Vice President Harris answered the question of what the first-ever female vice president wears to be sworn in: a purple suit by Christopher John Rogers, an American designer who is Black and queer, with darker gloves and a black mask. The emphasis on uplifting American designers represents a return to the Obama era, when first lady Michelle Obama was known for championing American, and often Black American, labels.
Though pantsuits are normally Kamala’s thing, for the inauguration, she went a bit more feminine and formal. (She also skipped the Chucks.) Vogue and other outlets speculated that the purple, though it looked royal blue in some lights á la The Dress, may have been a reference to both the women’s suffrage movement and the idea of bipartisanship, purple being the result of mixing red and blue; others said it called back to her campaign colors and Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman to run for president. Kamala also wore a set of pearls—by an American designer of Puerto Rican heritage, Wilfredo Rosado—that have special significance to members of the sorority she was part of at Howard University, Alpha Kappa Alpha.
But the undisputed showstopper of the day, to judge by the rapture online, was Michelle Obama in another monochromatic standout in a maroon look by Sergio Hudson, a Black American designer. The outfit’s floor-length coat, funky belt, and high-waisted, bell-bottomed pants added some serious swagger to the day’s proceedings, as befitting a post-presidency first lady who can dress like she has Netflix money and no more campaigns or approval ratings to worry about ever again.
Some more ecstatic favorites from the day included the Biden granddaughters, who wore pantsuits and matching jackets (and masks) in pink, white, and tan, leading more than one Twitter user to joke that they were serving Neapolitan-ice-cream chic. Their only real in-family competition? Hunter Biden’s baby son Beau, having a plaid/bonnet moment.
More monochromatic queens included House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in blue and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton—remember her?—who opted for a similar shade of purple as Kamala with her pantsuit selection, but her choice of a darker jacket gave the look decidedly less drama.
Meanwhile, it’s safe to say that the ceremony was a big coming out moment for the extended Harris-Emhoff clan. Ella Emhoff, the vice president’s stepdaughter, turned heads with her quirky sparkle-laden Miu Miu coat—which turns out to be just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to her Ella’s art-school-kid style, as evidenced by her Instagram page, which is full of her modeling unique clothes she’s made herself. Guessing her follower count is gonna see a bump.
Another one of Kamala’s most stylish relatives might be her niece Meena Harris, who rocked a green dress and silver boots to the inauguration, but whose husband, Nikolas Ajagu, may have outshone her with his Air Jordan Dior 1s … if it weren’t for both of them being outdone by their daughters, wearing furry animal-print coats inspired by a coat Kamala wore in a childhood photo Meena shared on Twitter.
Elsewhere in new faces, inaugural poet Amanda Gorman proved that she is just as good at putting together outfits as she is at putting together words, wearing a bright yellow Prada coat, a red satin headband, and a red bejeweled mask that was probably the best face covering of the day.
No fashion roundup of the inauguration would be complete without an overview of the pop stars in attendance. National anthem singer Lady Gaga, whose most recent album title, Chromatica, preordained that she would not be limited to one color, wore a custom Schiaparelli Couture ball gown, featuring a navy long-sleeve top and low-waisted red bell skirt. With milkmaid-style braids and an oversize gold dove pin, Gaga did a nice job of integrating “inauguration-appropriate” with the ongoing performance art piece that is being Lady Gaga.
Our other present pop star was Jennifer Lopez, who graced the inauguration crowd with a “This Land Is Your Land”/”America the Beautiful” medley. (She threw in a little bit of “Let’s Get Loud,” which was … a moment.) Lopez wore classic all white, but she did some texture-mixing in there too, pairing a ruffled shirt with sequined pants and a Chanel coat.
Despite lacking the glamour of a J. Lo or a Gaga, social media was as enthralled with Sen. Bernie Sanders as ever, praising his coat—the same one he’s wearing in an image that’s become a meme, and thus confirming that he is a frugal king—as well as his mittens, which were made from repurposed wool sweaters and, according to his admirers, provide undeniable proof of his competence, because of the extremely low odds of owning a pair of mittens for two years without losing them.
Ladies don’t have the privilege of going full unkempt Bernie in their looks, but it was nice to see some kind words for Treasury Secretary-designate Janet Yellen’s more casual vibe as well: She had on a black puffer coat and was sensibly keeping warm under a blanket.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren was also in a no-frills puffer coat, but her pink blanket scarf with a prominent Planned Parenthood logo on it was a nice touch. Being practical and sticking to your principles: hopefully that will never go out of style.
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