First Ladies Who Stepped Into the White House With Style

You probably don’t need us to tell you just how much fashion trends have changed over the years. The clothes that we deem fashionable today would have been garish and outrageous back in the day, and vice versa. But when Betty Ford was living in the White House, she thrived as first lady – and everyone agreed that she encapsulated the iconic 1970s style that was so famous at the time. 

When Betty Ford married her husband, many of her family and friends expected her to wear a classic white wedding gown. But Betty didn’t like to follow the crowd – especially when it came to her style. So, she decided to include her “something blue” in her wedding dress and wear a sapphire wedding dress. She also paired the long satin dress with a matching blue hat and shoes to complete the outfit.

The goings-on in the country often mar the reputation of the first lady, and this was the case for Rosalynn Carter. When her husband Jimmy took over the presidency, the country was in financial turmoil, and the country was looking up to them to fix it. Because of this, the White House decided to make some changes to his inauguration. Instead of expensive tickets, they sold cheap tickets. And instead of wearing an expensive gown, Rosalynn Carter recycled her dress.

Being the first lady immediately makes you the center of attention – behind the president, of course. And while Laura Bush had no problems making her way into the spotlight from 2001 until 2009, she knew that she wanted to showcase her authentic self. She proved to everyone that she was supportive, intelligent, and incredibly focused on her goals. She also proved that she absolutely loved to wear red clothing. 

During her time in the White House, Laura Bush was able to strike an impressive balance. On the one hand, fans loved her dress sense and saw her as one of the most stylish first ladies in history. On the other hand, she used her clothes to mimic her passions and career. And alongside wearing red to support her charitable causes, Laura also made sure to repeat outfits – something not often done in the limelight. 

Every style decision that Laura Bush made was quick and natural. She didn’t spend too much time mulling over what other people would think, and she just opted for outfits that she thought would suit the occasion while she lived in the White House. But it seems as though this wasn’t a new thing for her. The same was the case when she first met George Bush and got married a few months later. 

Before Nancy and Ronald became president and first lady of the United States, they were both famous actors. Yes, both had shmoozed with the biggest names in Hollywood, attended the glitziest parties, and walked down red carpets in their fineries. And while Nancy certainly changed her style slightly to suit her new role as first lady, she still brought the glitz and glamour of Hollywood to the straight-laced White House. 

Before she became first lady and even after her time in the White House, Nancy was always praised for dressing for her body type. She knew how to accentuate her figure and make her small frame look as beautiful as could be – and this is something she used to her advantage on her wedding day, too. After all, it’s been noted that Nancy was already pregnant before she married Ronald. 

Jill Biden has been in the First Lady business for a long time. And while she wasn’t the official first lady back in 2009, she was the second lady to the vice president – which meant that she was still expected to attend official business. During the 2009 Midwest Inaugural Ball for President Obama, she truly blew people away with her presence, both in terms of her personality and style. 

As we’ve already learned, Jackie Kennedy was a style icon – and it seems as though Melania Trump agreed. During her time as first lady, many people compared her to the former first lady, and it’s believed that she wanted to honor Jackie through her clothing choices. After all, Melania was never outlandish with her style. She kept things simple, tailored, elegant, but underplayed, just like Jackie Kennedy used to do. 

With a name like Mamie Eisenhower, you probably don’t need us to tell you who this former first lady was married to. And while Mamie knew that almost every eye would be on her husband when they left the White House for official business, that didn’t stop her from dressing the part. After all, Mamie loved fashion and had her own unique style that she matched with her love of pink and her famous bangs. 

What made Mamie so popular wasn’t just the overall look of her outfits. While she loved designer garments, she also loved a bargain – so, many of her clothes were thrifted, bought second-hand, or recycled to save money. Of course, that doesn’t mean that she didn’t splash out sometimes. One of her biggest clothing purchases came in 1953 when she wore a custom Nettie Rosenstein gown for her husband’s inauguration. 

Pat and Richard Nixon were at the forefront of the political world for decades. The couple started their congressional campaign over two decades before Nixon eventually became president, and so Pat knew what it was like to be the wife of a politician. She also knew that image was everything, which is why she worked hard to not only be stylish, but also choose clothes that reflected the image they wanted to portray. 

Jackie Kennedy had a whole host of incredible traits. She was philanthropic, incredibly intelligent, patient with her husband and the ideal first lady. But more than anything, she was a style icon. From the day that she became first lady, it was clear that she had an eye for fashion – and she nailed the timeless, all-American style. Before too long, women around the world were copying her style by wearing tailored separates, pillbox hats, and oversized sunglasses.

Throughout her time in the White House, Jackie used this cunning intelligence to pave the way into the hearts of millions across the globe. She even became the first first lady in history to hire her own press secretary to ensure that she did everything right. And it was with the help of this press secretary that she planned all of her outfits – including her famously simple-yet-stunning inauguration gown. 

Although Jackie Kennedy married JFK years before they moved into the White House, she had always been a fashion lover. In fact, she had once scored a job as an intern at Vogue Magazine! As a result, she knew that she wanted her wedding dress to be the most beautiful dress she had ever worn – and she gave designer Anne Lowe the job of bringing this dress to life. 

Lou Henry was a force to be reckoned with before she even became first lady. As if getting into Stanford University and dating Herbert Hoover wasn’t enough, she was also the only woman at her college studying geology. She wasn’t afraid to stand out from the crowd – and this was seen in her style, too. To this day, Lou is considered to be one of the most fashionable first ladies of all time. 

Michelle Obama truly shined as the first lady from 2009 until 2017, and fans fell in love with her multi-faceted presence in America. And while some presidents and first ladies hide from view when their time is up, both Barack and Michelle still make their presence known – and they did just that when they attended Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021. As you can imagine, Michelle blew everyone away with her choice of outfit for the event. 

From the outside, Grace Coolidge was a stylish and popular first lady. But those close to her knew that her life was a struggle – especially when it came to her relationship with her family and the government’s perception of her. Grace’s mother never approved of her marriage to Calvin Coolidge, which affected her life. Alongside this, Calvin wasn’t allowed a fancy inauguration, so they didn’t allow Grace to make her mark with a stunning gown. 

Florence Harding knew what it was like to work her way to the top. She married Warren Harding at the beginning of his career when he was a struggling newspaper publisher, and she stood beside him as he worked his way up the political ladder to become president. This allowed her to see the world in a progressive way, and she became a huge figure within the post-suffrage movement. In fact, this inspired her style. 

It’s long been said that Eleanor Roosevelt paved the way for future first ladies. She was one of the first in history to play an active role in the presidential administration, and she proudly walked by her husband’s side – rather than behind him. And while it’s fair to say that Eleanor wasn’t someone who paid much attention to fashion, she unwittingly became a style icon anyway. Especially when it came to her official gowns. 

When JFK was assassinated, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in to take over the job. This had been an unexpected turn of events and something that took the whole country by surprise. As the country mourned their president, they were reluctant to welcome the new president with open arms – and this left First Lady Lady Bird with a big job on her hands. She needed to inspire hope. 

Helen Taft was a first lady enigma. As she grew up in a political family, she knew what it took to thrive in the political sphere – and she also knew what she needed to do to help her husband rise to the top. And when Helen, who went by Nelie, became first lady, she knew that her appearance mattered. So, she put a huge amount of time and attention into her outfits, and she quickly became a style icon.

Edith Bolling wasn’t like many of the other first ladies on this list. Instead of marrying her presidential husband before he rose to the top, she married Woodrow Wilson after he became president. This meant that she was thrown into the world of politics – something she had no interest in. Despite this, she stepped up to the plate when her husband’s health declined and made an effort to make more public appearances as the years went by.

Sometimes, the true style and fashion status of a first lady is enhanced when other political figures surround them. This was seen in 2021 when Jill Biden accompanied her husband and Vice President Kamala Harris to the U.S. Capitol. The two women wore complimenting looks on this occasion – with Dr Jill wearing a blue dress and coat and the VP wearing a different (and bolder) shade of blue. They complemented each other perfectly. 

By the time George H.W Bush took over the presidency, he was 64 years old and his wife Barbara Bush was 63 years old. As a result, she already had a whole host of life experiences under her belt – and she had already figured out her personal style and the fashion that she enjoyed the most. And while she wore slightly less modern clothes compared to some of the other first ladies on this list, she still become iconic.

During the presidency of William McKinley, fashion trends were a little different to how they are today. And while there was more of a focus on more modest clothing, First Lady Ida McKinley knew that she didn’t want to be boring and modest – she wanted to stand out. As a result, she’s generally regarded as one of the most stylish first ladies of all time, and this was all thanks to her upbringing. 

Elizabeth ‘Bess’ Truman made it known from the get-go that she wasn’t a politician. She had no interest in politics but happened to be married to a politician. And so when the time came for her to step into the shoes of the first lady, she decided that she didn’t want to be at the forefront of everyone’s attention. Instead, she wanted to be a homemaker and step away from the public eye. 

Frances Cleveland is famous in the realm of first ladies. To this day, she’s still regarded as the youngest first lady of all time, as she was just 21 when her husband Grover became president. But while she was young in age, Frances knew how to dress like the wife of the president. She generally wore flattering and modest gowns that suited her place within the world of politics, but her wedding dress was a little different. 

One thing you might not realize is that first ladies generally only choose to wear clothing designed by American designers – and this was the case back in 1889, too. Thankfully, Caroline Harrison didn’t have a problem with this, and when her husband became president, she knew that she wanted to wear an American designer for the inaugural ball. In the end, Ghormley Robes et Manteaux created her gown for the prestigious event.