It truly is the dawn of a new era, with the January 20th 2021 Inauguration Day marking not only the official swearing-in of US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, but a return to a sense of dignity and normalcy in the White House. In the – just over – twelve hours since he’s been president, Biden has already signed executive orders to rejoin the Paris climate accord, blocked the Keystone XL pipeline, lifted the Muslim travel ban, and issued an order requiring the use of masks and social distancing in all federal buildings, on federal land, and by federal employees and contractors.
You’ll also enjoy:
The Prada SS21 Campaign Ponders The Very Nature Of Life
The North Face x Gucci Collab Postulates That Nature Is There To See You
Givenchy SS21 And The Problem With Personal Style In Heritage Fashion Houses
With no. 46 looking to be doing his job appropriately, we can turn our minds to a topic that interests us far more than policy here at Albert Review: fashion. Namely, the Inauguration Day outfits. While Melania Trump’s four-year tenure as First Lady provided us with a dreary sea of European couture and five-figure birkins that sat in stark contrast to the hardships experienced by the American public during her husband’s time in office, the 2021 inauguration has already provided us with some bold, hopeful, and downright joyful looks while highlighting American designers. From Kamala Harris and Jennifer Lopez sporting suffragette colours to poet laureate Amanda Gorman in a bright yet elegant yellow and red ensemble, as well as an overarching monochromatic theme followed by the first and second families, the Inauguration Day outfits have given us much to feast our eyes up.
Here, the iconic looks served by those serving the US of A.
Kamala Harris
VP Kamala Harris sported a purple wool coat by Christopher John Rogers, a Black American designer who won the 2020 CFDA Fashion Award for American Emerging Designer of the Year. Harris completed the monochromatic look with a purple dress by fellow Black American designer Sergio Hudson and Manolo Blahnik heels. Her decision to wear purple may – much like her white Carolina Herrera victory speech pantsuit – be influenced by the colours of the Woman Suffrage Party; white, purple, and gold.
Dr. Jill Biden
First Lady of the United States Dr. Jill Biden followed suit, donning a monochromatic blue tweed look by New York-based label Markarian, designed by Alexandra O’Neill. “The colour blue was chosen for the pieces to signify trust, confidence, and stability,” said the O’Neill of Biden’s outfit.
Michelle Obama
Former First Lady Michelle Obama also sported a bold monochromatic look; this time in burgundy. Obama wore a Sergio Hudson coat, weather, pants, and belt, paired with Stuart Weitzman boots, and a Christy Rilling mask.
Bernie Sanders
Socialist daddy Bernie Sanders stayed on brand in this very workwear-esque look, complete with fuzzy knitted mittens. The patterned mittens were made from repurposed wool sweaters and recycled plastic bottles by Vermont-based schoolteacher Jen Ellis, who was pleasantly surprised to see Sanders wearing them on the campaign trail after gifting them to him.
His technical outerwear also has connections to his hometown of Vermont, with Sanders sporting a jacket by snowboard company Burton, who manufactured a limited edition coat with Bernie Sanders’ face on it. Apparently, Sanders liked it so much he bought a jacket of his own (sans his face).
Amanda Gorman
22-year-old Amanda Gorman, the youngest poet to speak at an inauguration, recited an original poem entitled ‘The Hill We Climb’. Her poem spoke about looking forward to a brighter future and becoming the light ourselves, something Gorman embodied with her sunny head-to-toe Prada look, comprising a yellow coat and red satin padded headband.
Gorman accessorised with two gifts from Oprah; a pair of earrings and a ring in the shape of a caged bird – a reference to former presidential poet Maya Angelou’s book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Fun fact: Oprah also gave Angelou the Chanel coat and gloves she wore while reciting her inaugural poem in 1993.
Ella Emhoff
IMAGE: GETTY IMAGES IMAGE: IG @KEMHOFF
The 2021 Inauguration Day saw the emergence of a new contender in the style stakes; Ella Emhoff, Vice President Kamala Harris’ stepdaughter. A favourite across social media and fashion industry professionals alike, Emhoff wore an embellished plaid Miu Miu coat atop a bespoke ruffled Batsheva dress.
A fashion designer in her own right, the Parsons student typically sports her own handmade funky, knitted pieces, so it was only natural that she’d arrive at the inauguration in style. Just yesterday, she arrived at the capital clad in a chic Thom Browne outfit, so if her sartorial style so far is anything to go by, we’ll be seeing more #iconic outfits to come.
Joe Biden’s grandaughters
IMAGE: ALEX WONG/GETTY IMAGES
Sartorial style was in no shortage across the Biden clan, with first-granddaughters Naomi, Maisy, and Finnegan taking the monochrome theme to heart, clad in white, black, and camel respectively. Meanwhile, their cousin (and daughter of Beau Biden) Natalie sent social media into a frenzy with her bubblegum pink coat paired with a matching scarf, white dress and tan knee-high boots. Also, Maisy Biden’s Air Jordan 1s deserve an honourable mention.
Jennifer Lopez
Proving she’s still Jenny from the block, Jennifer Lopez managed to casually sneak Let’s Get Loud into her performance of This Land Is Your Land, all while dressed in a white head-to-toe Chanel look.
Lady Gaga
Never one to shy away from serving a look, Lady Gaga performed the national anthem in a custom Schiaparelli haute couture look reminiscent of the Hunger Games, complete with an oversized gold bird pin (allegedly it’s a dove carrying an olive brand and is a symbol of peace, but it looks a lot like a Mockingjay to us…).
Words by T. Angel
