On Monday, January 20th, the incoming First Lady, Melania Trump, made a striking entrance for her husband Donald Trump's second inauguration, donning an unconventional ensemble that included a wide-brimmed hat partially obscuring her face. For this momentous occasion, Melania chose a dark coat and skirt by New York designer Adam Lippes, complemented by an oversized hat. In photographs captured with Joe and Jill Biden before the swearing-in ceremony, Melania's eyes were concealed beneath the hat, her expression grave, while Donald and the Bidens beamed for the cameras.
The last First Lady to sport a hat during the daytime inauguration festivities was Hillary Clinton in 1993, who wore a blue velvet bowler hat that did not hinder her visage. It remains to be seen whether one of Melania's 2025 inaugural outfits will join the ranks of the iconic looks enshrined in the Smithsonian's First Ladies Collection following Inauguration Day. This curated exhibition, which has been around for nearly a century, showcases the historic contributions of these women to the nation during their husbands' administrations and "invites visitors to contemplate the evolving role played by the First Lady and American women over the past two hundred years," according to its website.
Melania, a former model and the second foreign-born First Lady, previously donated her 2017 inaugural ball gown to the Smithsonian collection. In recent years, the collection has also welcomed Dr. Jill Biden's 2021 inaugural attire—a blue ensemble and a white outfit, both paired with matching face masks—as well as former First Lady Michelle Obama's white gown from husband Barack Obama's first inauguration in 2009.
Historically, the outfits worn by First Ladies have carried deliberate symbolism. Designer Alexandria O'Neill, founder of Markarian, the label behind Dr. Biden's 2021 Inauguration Day outfit, explained that the choice of blue was intended to signify trust, confidence, and stability. This theme was particularly fitting given the moment: The Bidens entered the White House amidst profound political division and ongoing disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, with Americans in need of reassurance.
Although not a First Lady, Vice President Kamala Harris leveraged her 2021 inaugural outfit to acknowledge her historic status as the first woman, the first Black person, and the first person of Asian descent to hold the office. Harris wore a royal purple coat and matching dress by Brooklyn-based Christopher John Rogers, a nod to former New York Representative Shirley Chisholm, who inspired Harris's career, and pearls to honor her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, at Howard University.
