44 First Lady Fashion Looks from Eleanor Roosevelt to Michelle Obama
44 First Lady Fashion Looks from Eleanor Roosevelt to Michelle Obama
3 minute read
Mamie Eisenhower posing in her inaugural ball gown with a jeweled purse encrusted with 3,456 pink pearls, 1953.Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Michelle Obama probably has a long list of things she’d like to be remembered for—like her initiatives to combat childhood obesity and promote higher education—before she’s remembered for her sense of style. But with great responsibility comes great clothing, and the First Lady will certainly go down as the most fashionable woman in the White House since Jacqueline Kennedy.
Obama is known for choosing the patterned dress over the more subdued pantsuit, for baring her toned arms and—perish the thought—even wearing shorts. And there are some who argue that the choices she makes transcend personal expression and petty analysis and carry a certain amount of cultural significance.
“For some reason in this country there’s this false notion that style and substance have to occupy two separate worlds,” said fashion journalist Kate Betts in an interview with CNN, “and I think she’s proving that that’s wrong.”
See Michelle Obama's Best Outfits of 2014
After being criticized for wearing a sparkly sleeveless dress to the 2013 State of the Union, Obama went with a more conservative ensemble by Azzedine Alaia for the 2014 State of the Union Address. Drew Angerer—EPANever one to shy away from color, Obama donned a bold red coat for a visit from French President Francois Hollande in February.Pete Marovich—Bloomberg/Getty ImagesObama won plaudits for this powder blue and black lace gown by Carolina Herrera, which she wore to a state dinner with Hollande in February.Evan Vucci—APDuring a visit to Beijing in March to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Obama wore a custom dress by Naeem Khan which updated the traditional Chinese red dress — and her daughters didn't look too bad either. Andy Wong—Pool/AFP/Getty ImagesThe first lady doesn't just own formal wear. For this visit to a Beijing school that prepares children to study abroad, she dressed casually, but with flair.Andy Wong—Pool/Getty ImagesFor this February appearance on "The Tonight Show" with Jimmy Fallon, Obama went with a sleeveless jumpsuit, showing off her toned arms.NBC/Getty ImagesThe White House Correspondents' Dinner is often jokingly called Nerd Prom, but Obama's choice of a grey tulle embroidered dress from Marchesa was neither nerdy nor prom-like.Olivier Douliery—Pool/Getty ImagesThe devil may wear Prada, but Obama went for another Naeem Khan when she met fashionista Anna Wintour at a ribbon-cutting in May.Paul Zimmerman—WireImage/Getty ImagesReturning from the dedication of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, Obama aimed for a subdued but still classy look.Saul Loeb—AFP/Getty ImagesThe president may have gone for jeans, but Michelle Obama was ready for summer, wearing a crisp white summer dress to the White House Fourth of July celebration.Brendan Smialowski—AFP/Getty ImagesFor a luncheon at The Grammy Museum in July, Obama once again went sleeveless in a white dress from Phillip Lim. Jason LaVeris—FilmMagic/Getty ImagesDuring a visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, Obama wore a colorful wrap from Diane von Furstenberg.Saul Loeb—AFP/Getty ImagesAt an awards dinner held by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Obama chose a dress from Bibhu Mohapatra's fall collection.Nicholas Kamm—AFP/Getty ImagesNo ugly Christmas sweaters in sight as Obama, daughters Malia and Sasha and the family dogs greet the White House Christmas tree. Joshua Roberts—Bloomberg/Getty ImagesEnding the year in style, and mirroring the White House Christmas decorations, Obama wore this dress by Monique Lhuiller to the Kennedy Center honors in December. Brendan Smialowski—AFP/Getty Images
According to Betts, author of Everyday Icon: Michelle Obama and the Power of Style, Obama’s style choices convey comfort (the occasional flats), confidence (feminine florals) and relatability (she shops at J. Crew). Her effortless looks, Betts wrote in the New York Times, make it “hard to imagine that there had ever been any dress code for her position.”
As these photos by LIFE photographers show, there hasn’t exactly been a dress code, though styles have historically erred on the conservative side (in terms of hem lines, not party lines). The first ladies’ fashions have both evolved with popular trends and helped to inspire them. Furs, seen on Eleanor Roosevelt, Bess Truman, Mamie Eisenhower and Lady Bird Johnson, have fallen out of favor in recent decades. Hats, from Truman’s rather vertical design to Kennedy’s pillbox style, are infrequently sported by recent first ladies. Leather, with the exception of Nancy Reagan, shown in 1968 before her First Lady days, has been far from a staple, whereas the simple pearl necklace continues to be a timeless, nonpartisan classic.
While Kennedy’s style was described by LIFE in 1961 as having “an almost deliberate plainness,” Obama does not shy away from a hint of flourish here and there. But she’s certainly not the first to indulge in a bit of flair. When working with a designer on her dress for the inauguration in 1953, Mamie Eisenhower had a few extra requests. “She specified pink and asked for some additional glitter.” Because even the White House—no, especially the White House—can use a little sparkle now and then.
Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LizabethRonk.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt with his wife Eleanor voting in a Hyde Park polling station, 1937. Pictures Inc.—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesEleanor Roosevelt with Doris Fleeson, 1937.Thomas D. McAvoy—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesEleanor Roosevelt walking and talking with the commanding officer of a group of American paratroopers, 1942.David E. Scherman—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesBess Truman sitting at a desk, 1946.Marie Hansen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesBess Truman waving to crowd as her husband, President Harry S. Truman, and daugther Margaret look on during Army Day, 1946.George Skadding—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesBess Truman looking over a table full of baked goods, 1949.Francis Miller—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesGeneral Dwight D. Eisenhower walking with his wife Mamie, 1948.Francis Miller—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesMamie Eisenhower posing in her inaugural ball gown with a jeweled purse encrusted with 3,456 pink pearls, 1953.Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesMamie Eisenhower at the North Portico, 1958. Featured on the cover of LIFE. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesFour past, present and future first ladies at President John F. Kennedy's inauguration ceremony, including (L-R) Pat Nixon, Mamie Eisenhower, Lady Bird Johnson and new First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, 1961.George Silk—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesPresidential candidate John F. Kennedy riding in car with wife Jackie Kennedy upon return home from Democratic National Convention, 1960.Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesPresident John F. Kennedy and his wife Jackie chatting with poet Robert Frost at a party for Nobel Prize winners at the White House, 1962.Art Rickerby—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesFirst Lady Jackie Kennedy standing on the grounds of the Taj Mahal during visit to India, 1962.Art Rickerby—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesJackie Kennedy on the first day of a trip to India, 1962.Art Rickerby—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesPresident of Senegal Leopold Senghor with Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson during the first anniversary of independence from France, 1961.Hank Walker—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesLady Bird Johnson, 1964.Stan Wayman—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesPresident Lyndon Johnson sitting on porch swing with wife Claudia (Lady Bird) on the morning following his landslide election win, 1964.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesRichard M. Nixon and his wife Pat talking with photographers during the 1952 convention.Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesVice President Richard Nixon and his wife Pat in formal dress reflected in oval mirror, 1958.Hank Walker—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesPat Nixon, wife of presidential candidate Richard Nixon, on the campaign trail, 1968.Arthur Schatz—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesChinese premier Chou-En-Lai, First Lady Pat Nixon and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger during Nixon's visit to China, 1972.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesNewly appointed Vice President Gerald R. Ford with wife Betty and (clockwise from L) daughter Susan, sons John and Steve at home, 1973.Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesGeorgia Governor and future American president Jimmy Carter kissing his wife, Rosalynn, 1971.Stan Wayman—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesCalifornia gubernatorial candidate Ronald Reagan holding hands with wife Nancy while on the campaign trail, 1966.Bill Ray—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesNancy Reagan, 1967.Fred Lyon—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesCalifornia Governor Ronald Reagan with wife Nancy, hosting social evening during conference of GOP governors, 1968.Arthur Schatz—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesFuture First Lady Barbara Bush on the golf course, 1971.Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesAmbassador George H.W. Bush and wife Barbara, 1971.Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesClass leader and future First Lady and Senator Hillary Rodham (later Clinton) of Wellesley College talking about student protests which she supported in her commencement speech, 1969.Lee Balterman—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
