In just a few hours the wait will be over and the world will finally get to see what Michelle Obama has chosen to wear to the dozen or so Inaugural Balls she and the new president will attend.
Regardless of what the new First Lady wears tonight, you can bet the photos of it will be front page news and fashion experts will spare nothing when it comes to weighing in on its color, shape and size. You can also bet that whatever Michelle Obama dons at tonight’s star-studded fetes it will find its place in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
The national museum currently houses 21 inaugural gowns, which it shows off on a rotating basis along with other fashions worn by various First Ladies from Martha Washington to Laura Bush.
The first gown to permanently become part of the museum’s collection was Helen Taft’s 1909 gown. The historic dress was originally white and silver, but time has aged it to a cream and coppery finish.
Jackie Kennedy’s simple white inaugural sheath is also on display at the Smithsonian. According to museum curators, the famous First Lady designed the dress herself and had it made at Bergdorf Goodman.
Rosalynn Carter infamously donned the same blue chiffon gown to her husband’s Inaugural Ball that she had worn twice before at a White House governor’s dinner and at a formal affair as first lady of Georgia. It too is part of the Smithsonian’s collection.
Nancy Reagan’s floor-length, one-shouldered cream satin gown with a sheer beaded overdress by James Galanos is also on display at the museum. It’s the same inaugural gown some critics thought was inappropriate for the mature First Lady to wear on such an auspicious occasion.
Then, there’s Hillary Rodham Clinton’s purple beaded dress, which she wore to her husband’s first inauguration that got her compared to Barney the dinosaur. The second time around, she wore a buttercream colored creation made for her by Oscar de la Renta. Both are on display at the Smithsonian.
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