Cultural misfires, tax dodging dresses, and an apparent statement of
genuine cruelty.
Here are some of the White House's most controversial fashion
moments.
The White House dress code has seen many iterations over
the decades.
In fact, it tends to vary depending on the administration
because it has generally become more relaxed.
In modern administration, you'll see some presidential family members wearing
once unthinkable styles,
including sporting pieces that show some skin.
Though a stricter dress code is still in place for
some events at the White House,
plenty of other moments allowed presidential family members more discretion
in choosing their own outfits.
This, however, has led to some controversial fashion moments.
Take Melania Trump's recent appearance at Rosalynn Carter's memorial service,
for example, which saw the ex first lady criticized for
dressing inappropriately.
This wasn't the first time Melania has been accused of
dressing inappropriately,
either. You probably remember the time she was spotted wearing
a Zara jacket.
That said, I really don't care,
do you? On the back.
As if donning that piece wasn't bad enough in the
1st place,
she chose to wear it to none other than a
detention Center for migrant children back in 2018.
I literally thought it was a joke.
And while everyone is all about sustainability nowadays,
repeating outfits used to be a serious fashion faux pas,
especially for first ladies. While this blue and gold gown
was a stunning choice for Rosalind Carter to wear to
her husband's inaugural ball,
for many, the tastefulness of the gown took a backseat
to the fact that she'd already worn it to public
events twice.
Meanwhile, Ivanka Trump's inappropriate outfits have been numerous.
Though there's nothing blatantly inappropriate about this piece at first
glance,
context means everything. In this case,
Ivanka wore it to a banquet at Buckingham Palace,
a strictly black tie affair.
As a result, Ivanka received a lot of public criticism
for wearing a dress deemed too informal for such an
occasion.
For her part, Nancy Reagan stunned in many gowns during
her husband's presidency,
some of which were donated to her by designers.
According to the Ethics and Government Act,
however, she was supposed to disclose the dresses as income
to the IRS,
which she didn't do. The result?
A stint of alleged tax evasion that may have amounted
to hundreds of thousands of dollars during the presidential term.
Even Michelle Obama has had inappropriate fashion moments,
and this dress was one of the earliest subjects of
her wardrobe controversies.
At one point, reporter Germaine Greer called it a red
butcher's apron.
It's unclear why Obama chose the garment for election night
of all nights,
but many people no doubt hope that it's since been
relegated to the back of her closet.
In contrast, the gown Barbara Bush wore to her husband's
inaugural ball was truly gorgeous.
Modest check. Formal check. So why is this garment been
the subject of controversy?
Well, the reason is actually straightforward.
Her gown was all blue while her husband was leading
the Republic Republican Party.
Wearing the opposing team's color to your own celebration seems
like an obvious no no,
but Barbara Bush chose to stun in blue nonetheless.
Speaking of color, dressing in black is common to those
of us living in the States,
but as it turns out,
it isn't always such a standard fashion color in other
countries.
Let Hillary Clinton's fashion faux pas be a lesson to
all of us not to wear all black outfits while
visiting Japan.
In that country, black clothing can symbolize mourning and misfortune,
which could have made Clinton's fashion choices confusing at best
and an unintended snub at 1st when she visited the
country in
1996. And finally, what's a first lady's worst nightmare?
Probably what happened to Laura Bush in
2006. There's clearly a reason first ladies tend to order
custom dresses for important events,
and it's to avoid exactly this.
Bush showed up to the Kennedy Center Honors in the
same gown as three other women.
Apparently, she wasn't the only one who loved the off
the rack Oscar de la Renta number.
Though she quickly changed outfits,
the damage was done and this is a fashion faux
pas that will live forever in the public eye.