10 best inauguration ball gowns: From Michelle Obama to Mamie Eisenhower Naomi May
When Dolley Madison, wife of the fourth President, James Madison, hosted the first Inauguration Ball in 1809, she sported a scoop-necked, hand-embroidered cream velvet gown with a long and winding train. According to one attendee, Madison’s ensemble “answered all my ideas of royalty.”
In the years since First Ladies have followed in Madison’s footsteps, embracing the grandeur of the Ball while also setting the tone of their agenda by painting a visual narrative of the incoming administration.
In some cases, the cost of the gown worn to the Ball has made the biggest splash. To make an economical statement amid a recession in 1977, Rosalynn Carter recycled an off-the-rack Mary Matise for Jimmae frock which she’d worn twice before; while in 1981 and 1985, financial boom years in America, Nancy Reagan opted for gowns by American couturier, Jamas Galanos, who once famously
Grace Coolidge in 1925.
AP Photo
Grace Coolidge was an immensely popular first lady whose friendliness balanced Calvin s reserved nature.
March 4, 1925: Grace Coolidge was all smiles in a gray dress and top hat to match Calvin Coolidge s during his second inauguration.
Grace Coolidge was an immensely popular first lady whose friendliness balanced Calvin s reserved nature.
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March 4, 1929: Lou Henry Hoover wore a velvet dress with a zig-zag pattern to Herbert Hoover s inauguration.
Lou Henry Hoover in 1929.
AP Photo
March 4, 1929: Lou Henry Hoover wore a velvet dress with a zig-zag pattern to Herbert Hoover s inauguration.
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Eleanor Roosevelt in 1933.
AP Photo
Her wrap and dress were made of crystelle velvet, according to the New York Times. Press highlighted that Roosevelt s gowns were designed and made entirely in the US.
Mamie Eisenhower, 1957
Credit: Getty
For Eisenhower s second term, Mamie upped the ante even further. This Nettie Rosenstein gown featured more than 3,400 tiny pearls, as well as clear topaz stones. Her bag was designed by Judith Leiber, then an assistant of Rosenstein who would go on to make the inaugural bags for most First Ladies going forward.
1961: Jacqueline Kennedy
Jacqueline Kennedy, 1961
For President John F. Kennedy s Inauguration Ball, Jacqueline Kennedy wore a white gown and cape that she designed herself in collaboration with Bergdorf Goodman s Ethan Frankau. She was making a statement by having such an input on her look, and deliberately chose white so that she would stand out in black and white photographs at the time. Underneath the cape, the dress featured a sheer overlay panel and a strapless bodice. There was some sparkle, but the overall lack of embellishment marked the arrival of 1960s monochrome, and a contrast to Mrs Eisenhower s 1950s bling.