First Lady's Inaugral Wardrobe

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp–dyn/articles/A64249–2005Jan10.html?nav=hc
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First Lady's Inaugural Wardrobe Sparkles
Bush Twins Go Hollywood In Badgley Mischka Gowns
By Robin Givhan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 11, 2005; Page C01
The inaugural gown that first lady Laura Bush will wear next week is an
ice blue and silver embroidered tulle V–neck dress with a matching
duchess satin coat by Seventh Avenue designer Oscar de la Renta.
The gown is youthful and feminine, not sexy –– the epitome of good
taste. But it is almost overshadowed by the glamorous day suit that de
la Renta created for the swearing–in ceremony. The Inauguration Day
ensemble consists of a winter white cashmere dress with embroidered trim
that is topped with a matching embroidered coat. The ensemble has
classic lines, but it also reflects fashion's current interest in
ladylike daywear festooned with glitter or beading. It is not that Mrs.
Bush has opted to indulge in fads for the president's second
inauguration. It is that, at the moment, fashion has come around to her.
The combination promises to be splendid.
The first lady has chosen a sophisticated and personal approach to her
Inauguration Day wardrobe rather than kowtowing to tradition. Will there
be an inaugural hat? "Negative on the hat," says her spokesman, Gordon
Johndroe.
The president will wear a business suit to his swearing–in rather than a
more formal morning coat –– a style last worn by President Ronald
Reagan. The Bushes' daughters, Jenna and Barbara, have chosen to show
off their fashion savvy as well as their sex appeal by supporting one of
American fashion's more unproven talents and using the expertise of
designers who take traditional beadwork and make it lighthearted.
When Mrs. Bush stands next to her husband at noon on Jan. 20, she will
not be enveloped in the traditional patriotic primary hues of red or
blue that have allowed so many first ladies to be spotted from a
half–mile away. Indeed, for President Bush's first inaugural, Mrs. Bush
wore a peacock blue suit by Dallas–based designer Michael Faircloth. It
was tasteful, but safe, the Inauguration Day equivalent of a little
black dress.
This time, Mrs. Bush will be wearing winter white, a color that suggests
a certain chic understanding that restraint can be the most powerful
form of expression. The suit is a customized version of a blue–trimmed
beige tweed style that originally appeared in de la Renta's fall collection.
In winter white, there is also an unabashed proclamation of wealth.
Clearly, one is not concerned with such banal issues as bad weather or
the cost of dry cleaning. Winter white is crisp, pristine, a little
aloof. It is not a warm and fuzzy color. Winter white –– a slightly more
antique shade than the searing white one might wear in July –– is
elegant. It will have the effect of a dazzling crystal on a sunny
January day. And if fate should bring gray skies, the white will help to
create a moody, nearly monochromatic image. Either way, Mrs. Bush is
sure to stand out in the sea of men dressed in dark overcoats.
Mrs. Bush's inaugural gown, which was created especially for her, also
shows fashion panache. In choosing a pale blue with hints of gray and
silver, Mrs. Bush again distances herself from the Washington cliche
that one's patriotism is in direct proportion to the amount of red,
white and blue draped over one's body.
In making her choices, de la Renta says, Mrs. Bush focused on her own
sense of style and not on how a particular color or silhouette might
look on television, from a distance or in the pages of history.
"She's very precise in what she likes and what is right for her," de la
Renta says. "She can almost wear any color. First of all, she's a very
handsome lady. But some people, because of their coloring, some things
they can't wear. . . . She's also a regular size and so fitting isn't a
problem."
Mrs. Bush has worn de la Renta's clothes from her first days in the
White House. But the designer, who counts Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton
(D–N.Y.) among his clients, was surprised when he first learned that
Mrs. Bush was an admirer of his work.
When Mrs. Bush arrived in Washington, she was photographed for Vogue. In
preparation for that shoot, the magazine asked de la Renta to lend
clothes. "I said, 'I don't think Laura Bush would want to wear Oscar de
la Renta,' because I was so closely identified with Hillary Clinton," de
la Renta recalls. The designer had created Clinton's second inaugural
gown and she had been photographed frequently wearing his clothes.
"I completely misjudged her. The first lady is not that kind of person."
Mrs. Bush arrived for that Vogue shoot wearing a red de la Renta suit
that, he says, she'd purchased while in Texas. Later that day, she
selected a de la Renta pantsuit to be photographed in as well.
Over the years, a small group of names have become associated with Mrs.
Bush's public wardrobe. De la Renta is one, as well as Carolina Herrera,
who has created a raspberry awning–striped silk shirtdress for the Texas
State Society's Black Tie and Boots Ball on Jan. 19. It has a full
skirt, placket buttons and a bodice that recalls the look of a western
shirt. Mrs. Bush has also enlisted the services of designer Peggy
Jennings, a favorite since her days as a governor's wife. Jennings has
created a pale moss, long–sleeve dress with a jewel neckline and a
boucle wool coat. Both are trimmed in ivory grosgrain ribbon. Mrs. Bush
will wear the suit for daytime events on Jan. 19. For the candlelight
dinners that evening, Jennings created a rose quartz, beaded lace gown
with an hourglass silhouette.
While Mrs. Bush enlisted the aide of three designers for her inaugural
week wardrobe, her daughters, Jenna and Barbara, had the combined forces
of four design houses: Lela Rose, de la Renta, Derek Lam and Badgley
Mischka. With their choices, they have opted for the familiar, the
traditional, the new and the va–va–voom.
They wore Rose's girlie designs during their father's 2001 inauguration.
Their choice of de la Renta underscores his appeal to a broad range of
women from actress Sarah Jessica Parker to old–guard Washington
philanthropists. Lam's business is not even three years old, but he has
established a reputation for sophisticated, unfussy sportswear with an
urbane flair.
Most surprising, however, is their selection of the design team of Mark
Badgley and James Mischka. The two designers had never met the twins.
They had never made an inaugural anything. They were best known for
their lavishly beaded, sexy evening gowns favored by Hollywood stars
such as Ashley Judd. But when the White House called a couple months ago
to make an appointment for Jenna and Barbara Bush, the designers were
happy to help

All the fashions described sound quite elegant and appropriate for an
Inaugural; I'm glad to see so many US designers represented. And I
think it's quite touching that Bush wears his father's cufflinks for
his swearing–in ceremonies.
T.

i am glad Mrs. Bush has decided to wear a different color other than
red or blue. I like her better than the President.
One thing I will say about her, is she never looks bad and photographs
very well. I never see a bad picture of her in contrast to Hillary who
looked good one moment and really bad with a new hairstyle or outfit
that heightened her figure flaws. And Terry Kerry could look very
attractive in some shots and sort of like death warmed over in another.
Mrs Bush always looks "nice" and appropriate. She is no style icon –
but I admire her consistency.