First Lady Dr Jill Biden is on the front cover of Vogue magazine for the first time.
It’s something of a rite of passage for many first ladies – Michelle Obama appeared on the cover three times while her husband Barack was in office – although Biden’s predecessor, Melania Trump, is a noteworthy exception.
Biden (70) has been photographed by Annie Leibovitz for her Vogue debut, wearing a floral dress by Oscar de la Renta. While she isn’t known for particularly jaw-dropping outfits – more focus was put on Kamala Harris and her Timberlands on the campaign trail – Biden’s fashion choices are still closely studied and quietly confident.
Biden doesn’t apparently work with a stylist, and the Vogue profile suggests she makes all of her own fashion choices. Biden said: “I think that’s important: You try to lift-up other people. I like to choose from a diverse group of designers. When I was planning my Inauguration outfits, that’s one of the things I considered.”
These are some of Biden’s more impactful fashion moments…
At the inauguration
Biden’s main outfit for the inauguration wasn’t a big name designer: instead, she chose a teal ensemble designed and made in New York by up-and-coming label Markarian.
For the evening’s festivities, she changed into a white coat and dress by Uruguayan American designer Gabriela Hearst. The outfit was embroidered with delicate flowers, and Hearst said: “The message of Unity is the main inspiration for the creation of the Ensemble. Unity makes strength and it is needed for the road ahead. The blooming symbol to represent this message are the federal flowers from every state and territory of the United States of America.”
In voting boots
Biden’s fashion tends to be low-key – she sticks to a tried and tested formula of dresses and blazers in block colours or floral prints – but before becoming First Lady, she mixed things up a bit with statement boots. Biden encouraged Americans to go to the polls by wearing classic black Stuart Weitzman boots with the word ‘Vote’ emblazoned on – the style was part of an exclusive drop, with only 100 pairs available.
In a ‘Love’ jacket
For the recent G7 summit in Cornwall, Biden wore a black Zadig & Voltaire blazer with the word ‘Love’ bedazzled on the back. It was a simple but powerful statement – and some fashion critics thought it could be a response to Melania Trump wearing a jacket with the words, ‘I really don’t care. do u?’ when she was First Lady.
Underneath, Biden wore a black and white dress by one of her favourite American designers: Brandon Maxwell.
In a sustainable style
Biden often rewears outfits and chooses sustainable designers. For the president’s first speech to a joint session of Congress in April, she wore a blue dress embroidered with flowers, again by Gabriela Hearst. The designer wrote on Instagram: “The Silk Wool dress (and mask) was made entirely of existing fabrics. Made and embroidered in New York. It was originally used to fit the inauguration one. The First Lady requested to salvage for another occasion. Double repurposed. New is not always better.”
