Some 200 miles north, four former first ladies were together at the National September 11 Memorial in Lower Manhattan. Michelle Obama joined Barack Obama for the occasion, opting for a floor-length brown jersey gown from Ferragamo, its fluid shape offset by twisted tan leather detailing at the sleeves. Silver jewelry and a memorial pin completed the look, while her braided hair was gathered into a low, loose plait. If Trump’s tailoring projected restraint through structure, Obama’s did so through softness. Brown, rather than black, gave the look a quiet warmth, while the column-like silhouette felt both solemn and recognizably her.
Even in moments that call for discretion, Mrs. Obama sticks to the core tenets of her personal style. Throughout and beyond her years in the White House, she has consistently used her wardrobe to platform Black designers, and she did so again by wearing Maximilian Davis’s work on Friday.
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
She was joined in New York by three other former first ladies, each similarly filtering the occasion through her own established style codes. Jill Biden chose a tailored navy suit, complementing former President Joe Biden’s black suit and blue tie. The Clintons reversed tones, with Hillary Clinton wearing a collarless black jacket over a black tunic with braided sleeve detailing and cigarette pants, and former President Bill Clinton choosing a navy suit. Laura Bush, meanwhile, subtly matched George W. Bush in navy, choosing a boatneck top and pencil skirt with flats and a long beaded necklace.
Together, the women offered a reminder that a FLOTUS’s job does not end when the presidency does. Long after leaving the White House, former first ladies continue to appear with their husbands at inaugurations, the funerals of major figures, memorials, and other moments when the country gathers to mark something larger than politics. Their clothes, inevitably, remain part of the picture.
