Dissecting the Inauguration Fashion

The inauguration that took place on Wednesday was ruled by powerful women, with their equally powerful outfits. By dressing deliberately, the women of the inauguration made headlines with many jumping at the chance to dissect the looks and their symbolism and significance to the public. 

Though there were many notable looks prevalent throughout the entirety of the day's proceedings, these specifically curated looks were what stole the attention of millions who tuned in to see President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris be sworn in on Wednesday. 

Lady Gaga performed the national anthem in an Haute Couture look from Schiaparelli, an Italian-based brand which made this look specifically for the occasion. However, one could wonder if the American Artistic Director of Schiaparelli, Texan native Daniel Roseberry had any influence over the decision. 

Gaga’s fit included a navy blue jacket over top of a red ball gown, topped with a golden brooch of a dove. While many were quick to point out the similarities between Gaga’s brooch and the infamous Mockingjay pin in The Hunger Games, Gaga herself shared what the brooch meant to her. 

“A dove carrying an olive branch. May we all make peace with each other.” She tweeted after her performance. 

Gaga wasn’t the only performer present at the ceremony, with Jennifer Lopez in attendance to perform a medley of “This land is your land”/ “America the beautiful.” Lopez wore a head-to-toe white ensemble from Chanel, an iconic French designer that has dressed Lopez on several other occasions. 

The Obama’s in attendance of for the inauguration of the Biden Administration (Getty Images)

Lopez’s white ensemble included a tweed overcoat paired with sequin flare pants and a ruffled blouse. According to Vogue, the all-white outfit was a nod to suffragette white, a color often associated with the fight for women's suffrage in 1920. 

Poet Amanda Gorman attended the inauguration, becoming the youngest person to ever recite poetry at an inauguration thus far. The 2017 National Youth Poet Laureate wore all Prada, sporting a white blouse underneath her vibrant yellow overcoat and bright red headband which matched her red sequin mask. 

It was her jewelry, however, that wove her own unique symbolism into her look; According to Vogue, it was Oprah Winfrey who provided earrings and a ring for the young poet, a tradition that began with Maya Angelou, who recited her own poem at the presidential inauguration in 1993. 

Meanwhile, former First Lady Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama both wore purple, along with Vice President Harris. Clinton’s look consisted of a Ralph Lauren purple pantsuit with a darker overcoat and a ruffled scarf over top. 

Obama wore a different shade of purple, in a matching pant and turtleneck from Sergio Hudson with a matching overcoat and lavish gold belt. This didn’t come as a big surprise, as Obama and the Black Los Angeles based designer have both worked together before in 2019 for Obama’s book tour. 

Harris herself wore a vibrant purple pantsuit from Christopher John Rogers, another black designer based most prominently in New York City. Harris matched her look with pearl earrings and a necklace, but the statement was made with the color of the clothes. According to Clinton, wearing purple was a nod to unifying both political parties — red and blue together, while others said it was a nod to another prominent color used for women’s suffrage so many years ago. 

As for First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, she donned custom Markarian which consisted of a knee-length blue dress with matching blue mesh embellished with crystals at the neckline and a matching jacket with subtle jewels embedded as well as a matching blue mask. 

While she did not exactly wear purple, it was however significant that both the former First Lady’s, the present First Lady and the Vice President all dressed in head-to-toe American brands. This comes shortly after rumors of Harris vowing to only wear American designers throughout her term as Vice President. 

There is also a certain significance to all of these women, whether in a position of power or otherwise, wearing specific looks in order to demonstrate to the American people what unity and supporting your country can look like, in more ways than one.