With Trump’s Inauguration, We Have to Ask: Are All Fashion Credits Good Ones?
Liz Coulbourn
On January 20, in Washington, DC, the inauguration for Donald J. Trump’s second presidential term commenced. While the festivities were a celebration for Trump supporters and the Republican Party, many onlookers were invested in the fashion choices of everyone involved.
Historically, the fashion choices of presidents, vice presidents, and their first and second ladies have been regarded as integral pieces of the picture each presidency is painting. President Barack Obama’s tan suit famously sent the Republican Party into a fury over its purported casual nature. And first lady Michelle Obama admitted to using straightened hair to appear more palatable while serving as the first Black family in the White House. Every fashion detail from inauguration to their end of term is being examined. Fashion has always been regarded as a pivotal pillar of presidential storytelling, and one where there is no room for repetition. First lady Rosalynn Carter chose to re-wear a dress she’d already worn to her husband Jimmy Carter’s 1977 inaugural ball, which generated some backlash from the American people. No matter the year, every sartorial choice can be seen as a poignant response to the world in front of us.
US President George W. Bush and First La
MANDEL NGAN/Getty ImagesSo it’s clear why the first and second ladies’ roles in an inauguration is that of sartorial importance. First lady Melania Trump’s outfit piqued the most interest at the 2025 inauguration, with many acknowledging the socially distanced circumference of her Eric Javits boater hat. The size and reach of the hat soon became a meme after a video surfaced of President Trump being unable to kiss her cheek because of it. Melania's suit was from American designer Adam Lippes. Lippes worked at Polo Ralph Lauren in 1995; he then worked for Oscar de la Renta, and became their global creative director. From 1996 to 2003, Lippes worked closely with de la Renta in different parts of the company, focusing on the design and marketing side as well as business development.
Incoming second lady Usha Vance wore a custom peony cashmere coat with a scarf wrap and a matching tea-length dress from Oscar de la Renta to the inauguration. De la Renta is a Dominican-born designer that launched his namesake brand in New York City. His career notably took off in the 1960s for being one of the design houses that dressed former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy. The luxury brand is no stranger to dressing first and second ladies.
Designers have always been heavily involved in the process of presidential showmanship. Does the who and why matter? De la Renta, who passed away in 2014, has spoken candidly about the fashion choices of first ladies in the past. In 2011 he criticized Michelle Obama for wearing an Alexander McQueen gown to a state dinner, claiming that “if the visit was to promote American-Chinese trade — American products in China and Chinese products in America — why do you wear European clothes?” He made that statement in 2011, but Michelle, after six years of being the first lady, finally decided to wear Oscar de la Renta in 2014, and again in 2016. Her decision to include Oscar de la Renta in her sartorial rolodex highlights a shift in how brands were interacting with her, and in turn her husband's presidency, no matter what the origins.
But after several contentious years in politics, including the recent Trump-Vance 2024 campaign, many onlookers have laid out their distaste for designers choosing to dress the incoming presidential party. The Oscar de la Renta Instagram account posted Usha Vance’s inauguration look to its page and received a ton of backlash for choosing to dress the second lady, who is decidedly attached to the Trump-Vance administration and all of their prospective policies. Screenwriter Nick Atkinson commented: “To remain neutral in times of political unrest is the very definition of complicity,” echoing the words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu: “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” Dara, a notable stylist for celebrities such as Addison Rae and Hunter Schafer, also commented on the brand's page saying: “tacky.” With many fashion spectators disagreeing with the Trump administration’s policies, the question now for luxury brands is: Are all fashion credits good ones?
During Trump’s inauguration speech, he announced many of his day-one executive orders, including restrictions on immigration and taking aim at gender identities, stating that moving forward, the United States will acknowledge only two genders: male and female. For many people these issues are not something they're willing to look past morally — and it’s not as simple as a "difference of opinion.” As Trump announced these direct attacks on marginalized communities, Melania stood stoically in her somber black suit, any indication of emotion in her eyes hidden behind the broad hat that adorned her head.
The Inauguration Of Donald J. Trump As The 47th President
Pool/Getty ImagesWhen a designer chooses to dress a key player that is pushing the above agenda, does that then mean they are supporting those values or willing to separate a fashion credit from the people wearing their designs? Does the choice to sartorially be in the room where decisions are being made — cemented in American history — make them in any way responsible for the role they’re playing?
The devil wears Zara.
Trump’s VP candidate, Vance furthered a mass hysteria during election season after claiming that Haitian migrants were eating household pets in an Ohio town. City officials quickly and repeatedly debunked the rumors, but that did not stop Trump believers from spreading that idea — which led to Haitian American citizens being racially profiled and harassed.
Black Americans have often faced vitriol in the United States, dating back to slavery and the Jim Crow era. So, when Vance’s wife was seen wearing a Sergio Hudson dress and coat to the Arlington ceremony days before the inauguration, many fashion lovers and Black Americans alike were curious to know if the notable Black designer chose to dress the second lady. The New York Times’s Vanessa Friedman reported that the Sergio Hudson pieces Usha Vance wore were actually bought off the rack and not given by Hudson himself.
Sergio Hudson’s pieces were purchased, Oscar de la Renta’s were custom-made, and the world seems to be surveying current presidential fashion moments — and each brand’s choice to opt in or out — with a rather more watchful eye to see what role these large, luxury houses choose to play. This administration has already enacted new laws and orders that have a major effect on diverse communities — the same groups of people these fashion brands often need to rely on to stay relevant.
Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
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