--- title: Donald Trump's Inauguration Isn't Selling Out Formalwear description: Despite what Donald Trump may say, Washington D.C. stores have plenty of formalwear in their inventory ahead of the inauguration. canonical: https://time.com/4629690/donald-trump-inauguration-clothes/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-01-09T23:34:40.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T02:38:07.520Z article:section: Politics og:title: D.C. Stores Aren't Actually Running Out of Dresses for Trump's Inauguration og:description: Despite Trump saying 'All the dress shops are sold out in Washington' og:url: https://time.com/4629690/donald-trump-inauguration-clothes/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc564fea5220cc6b2/6988b4dcbc6cfc075e3dfbb1/donald-trump-inauguration-clothes.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4830 og:image:height: 2717 og:image:alt: President-Elect Donald Trump Holds Meetings At Trump Tower og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: D.C. Stores Aren't Actually Running Out of Dresses for Trump's Inauguration twitter:description: Despite Trump saying 'All the dress shops are sold out in Washington' twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc564fea5220cc6b2/6988b4dcbc6cfc075e3dfbb1/donald-trump-inauguration-clothes.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # D.C. Stores Aren't Actually Running Out of Dresses for Donald Trump's Inauguration > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Diana Pearl / People](https://time.com/author/people/) ## Diana Pearl / People Contributor Jan 9, 2017 11:34 PM UTC  President-elect Donald Trump speaks to reporters following his meeting with Jack Ma, Chairman of Alibaba Group, meeting at Trump Tower, January 9, 2017 in New York City. President-elect Donald Trump speaks to reporters following his meeting with Jack Ma, Chairman of Alibaba Group, meeting at Trump Tower, January 9, 2017 in New York City. Drew Angerer/Getty Images by [Diana Pearl / People](https://time.com/author/people/) ## Diana Pearl / People Contributor Jan 9, 2017 11:34 PM UTC Despite what [Donald Trump](http://people.com/tag/donald-trump/) may say, Washington D.C. stores have plenty of formalwear in their inventory ahead of the inauguration. Trump told _The_ _New York Times_ early Mondaythat D.C. shops have been selling out of gowns, with big numbers expected at the inaugural festivities — in particular, celebrities. “We are going to have an unbelievable, perhaps record-setting turnout for the inauguration, and there will be plenty of movie and entertainment stars,” [he said](http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/09/movies/trump-meryl-streep-golden-globes-speech.html?%5Fr=0). “All the dress shops are sold out in Washington. It’s hard to find a great dress for this inauguration.” However, it seems that Trump’s claim is quite a stretch. PEOPLE called a few D.C. area stores that carry formal dresses and evening wear, and every store said they had plenty of inventory available for those seeking an outfit to wear to the inauguration. “No, we’re not sold out,” Mae Shipe, owner of the D.C. Mae’s Dress Boutique, told PEOPLE. “We have 200 dresses, if not more, in stock.” Not only, it seems, are dresses in stock, but people aren’t flocking to the stores to pick them up, either. “We have not gotten a huge influx of traffic specifically related to shopping for inaugural dresses,” Anastasia Thomas, an employee at Betsy Fisher, a D.C. women’s wear shop, said. In fact, Peter Marx, owner of Saks Jandel, a D.C. area boutique, told PEOPLE that there have been fewer people seeking inaugural gowns. “There’s never been less demand for inaugural ballgowns in my 38 years,” Marx told PEOPLE. “Never ever has it been less for the inaugural.” _This_ [_article_](http://people.com/politics/d-c-dress-shops-dispute-trumps-claim-that-they-are-sold-out-for-inauguration-theres-never-been-less-demand/) _originally appeared on_ [_People.com_](http://www.people.com) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4629690/donald-trump-inauguration-clothes/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4629690/donald-trump-inauguration-clothes/"},"headline":"D.C. 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