Photos show first ladies' first and last looks while in office, from Mamie Eisenhower to Jill Biden
- First ladies' styles evolved from their first to last days in office.
- Several first ladies have opted for hats and patriotic red or blue ensembles for inauguration days.
- Jackie Kennedy, Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon, and Betty Ford had swift transitions in or out of the role.
Mary Geneva "Mamie" Eisenhower became first lady on January 20, 1953, after her husband, Dwight D. Eisenhower, was sworn in as the 34th president. She wore a fur coat over an A-line dress and accessorized with a flower corsage and Juliet-style cap.
Up until the 1960s, first ladies had to wear hats in public as a protocol, according to Glamour.
After two four-year terms and on her last day as first lady, Eisenhower attended President-elect John F. Kennedy's inauguration. As seen here, she left the White House with Jacqueline Kennedy on their way to the ceremony, opting again for a luxurious fur coat and a cap. She paired her look with gloves and a sleek purse.
To start out her husband's administration, Jackie Kennedy wore a sleek coat and simple dress designed by Oleg Cassini. While colorized photos show that the coat was a pale blue, it was supposedly a beige color, according to Vogue. She also wore a fur muff for extra warmth on the cool January day.
Kennedy's iconic pillbox hats made their debut here, with a design by Halston. According to the designer, on Inauguration Day, "when a gust of wind threatened to topple it from her head, she dented it hanging on to the hat," as per Vogue. Brands then started producing replica hats — dent and all.
On November 22, 1963, President Kennedy was assassinated while riding with his wife in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas. The first lady had been wearing a pink tweed Chanel skirt suit and matching pillbox hat with white gloves.
The suit was covered in her husband's blood, but the first lady kept it on during the trip to the hospital and on Air Force One, where Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson took an oath of office to be instated as the new president that same day.
Following the assassination of President Kennedy, there was an abrupt transition for Claudia Taylor "Lady Bird'' Johnson from second lady to first lady. In her clothes from the Texas parade and after the day's tragic events, Johnson was wearing a white knee-length dress and string of pearls while her husband was sworn in.
When they landed at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, the new first lady added a coat and hat for her husband's televised address to the nation.
Republican Richard Nixon took over in 1969. In a photo of the Nixon family being greeted by the Johnsons at the White House prior to the inauguration ceremony, Johnson is seen wearing a high-collared princess-line coat and fur hat.
On January 20, 1969, Richard Nixon was sworn in as president. Thelma Catherine "Pat" Ryan Nixon, who was previously second lady during Eisenhower's administration, wore a vibrant ensemble for her husband's inauguration. Her fuschia double-breasted coat was designed by Jay Sarnoff Custom Couture.
Although hats had mostly gone out of style after Kennedy wore them, Nixon wore a dark fur hat and scarf.
In a televised speech on August 8, 1974, President Richard Nixon announced his resignation after the Watergate scandal and impeachment proceedings. On the following day, Nixon gave an official farewell speech and stepped down. During her final hours, the emotional first lady wore a summery, light pink, checkered dress with a belted waist.
Elizabeth "Betty" Anne Ford quickly transitioned from second to first lady after President Richard Nixon resigned. At Gerald R. Ford's swearing-in ceremony, his wife was there to hold the Bible and did so in a pale blue knit dress and matching blazer.
Ford's dress had a box-pleated skirt and her jacket had white piping. For their official presidential photo that same day, Ford added a white flower corsage to her look.
It was time for Ford to step away from her role three years later in 1977 after Democrat Jimmy Carter won the election. Seen pictured (fourth from left) with the current and succeeding presidential families prior to the inauguration ceremony, Ford wore a beige and brown striped turtleneck dress on her last day. She paired the belted dress with knee-high boots for the cold weather.
For her husband Jimmy Carter's inauguration on January 20, 1977, Rosalynn Carter opted for a refined-yet-bold look. She wore a Dominic Rompollo turquoise wool dress and matching overcoat. She paired this with gloves and leather heeled boots.
After one term, President Jimmy Carter lost his position to Republican Ronald Reagan. On Inauguration Day in 1981, Rosalynn Carter wore a skirt suit with a bow collar to greet the Reagans at the White House. At the ceremony, she added a white overcoat to the look.
The administration transitioned from blue to red when Richard and Nancy Reagan entered the White House in 1981. Reagan wore a bright red coat and matching hat by Adolfo to her husband's inauguration. The color was dubbed "Reagan Red," and she continued to wear it throughout her time as first lady.
"I always liked red. It's a picker-upper," Reagan said of the color in a 2007 W Magazine interview.
Regan wore yet another red look on her last day in office to attend George H.W. Bush's inauguration in 1989. The dark cranberry coat dress was cinched at her waist. She didn't pair it with a pillbox hat this time though.
On the day of her husband George H.W. Bush's inauguration, Barbara Bush wore a simple boxy blue coat by Bill Blass. The dark turquoise blue made her gold buttons and faux string of pearls stand out. The first lady's penchant for the color led to it being called "Bush Blue."
Four years later, Bush was to leave her role since Democratic President-elect Bill Clinton would be starting his presidency. While greeting the Clintons at the White House prior to the inauguration, Bush was wearing a purple skirt suit, again styled with gold buttons and her famous necklace.
Hillary Rodham Clinton wasn't known for her pantsuits when she entered her husband's presidency. For Bill Clinton's inauguration, the first lady's first look was a blue coat by Connie Fails and a divisive wide-brimmed velour hat by Darcy Creech paired with a scarf.
"She looked like a lady, but didn't look frilly," Creech told The Associated Press after seeing Clinton wearing the hat on Inauguration Day. "I thought it was great. She really made a statement."
During the inaugural parade, Clinton removed the coat to reveal a red checkered skirt suit also designed by Fails.
Two terms later, in 2001, the Clintons would leave their roles. At George W. Bush's inauguration, Clinton wore a red and blue plaid skirt suit. With some gloomy weather, she added a black overcoat for the ceremony and when departing the Capitol.
Just like her mother-in-law, Laura Bush had a no-fuss wardrobe. To step into the role of first lady beside her husband, George W. Bush, Laura Bush wore a simple, single-breasted bright blue Michael Faircloth dress and coat. The look, paired with gloves, was similar to Rosalynn Carter's and Barbara Bush's inauguration outfits.
Eight years later, in 2009, Bush opted for a simple buttoned grey skirt suit to greet Democratic President-elect Barack Obama at the White House.
To celebrate her husband's presidency in 2009, Michelle Obama chose a sparkling yellow-green textured coat and matching sheath dress by up-and-coming designer Isabel Toledo. The dress was paired with olive green J.Crew gloves and dark green heels. She also wore a diamond necklace that sat along the dress' neckline.
To greet the incoming presidential family after being first lady for two terms, Obama wore a dark red and black tweed Jacquard dress by Jason Wu. Obama had worn Wu's designs many times, including for both of her husband's inaugural balls.
The short-sleeved, belted dress was then covered by a matching coat during her final moments as first lady at Donald Trump's inauguration. She also swapped her heels for knee-high suede boots.
On January 20, 2017, Donald and Melania Trump entered the White House. For the day's events and her first appearance as first lady, Melania Trump wore a classic powder-blue ensemble by a classic American designer: Ralph Lauren.
The cashmere dress, shawl jacket, and gloves matched her heels for a fully monochromatic look.
President Donald Trump refused to attend President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration in 2021. Instead, the outgoing first family took an Air Force One flight from Maryland to their Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida during the final hours of their roles.
Melania Trump opted for an all-black look. She wore a cropped Chanel Jacket, Dolce and Gabbana dress, Christian Louboutin heels, an Hermès Birkin bag, and a pair of dark sunglasses to depart.
Sitting president Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th US president on January 20, 2021. For the inauguration ceremony, Dr. Jill Biden wore a cool blue tweed-wool dress and coat by the brand Markarian embellished with Swarovski crystals. Biden also wore a matching face mask.
A representative for Markarian told Insider at the time that the shade of blue was chosen to "signify trust, confidence, and stability."