Orlando Sentinel (Sunday)

Jill Biden donates inaugural wear to Smithsonia­n museum exhibit

- By Darlene Superville

Jill Biden says her Inaugurati­on Day outfits, now featured in a Smithsonia­n museum exhibit about first ladies, were a “voice for me on one of the most important days of my life.”

The dresses — one blue, one white — with matching coats and face masks “spoke to the American people then, and now they will continue speaking to generation­s to come,” she said before the ensembles were formally added to the exhibit.

“They will help tell not only my story, but the story of what Americans experience­d together,” the first lady said at the museum in Washington, D.C. It was her first public appearance in two weeks, following the removal of a cancerous lesions from her face and her chest.

“This day is so much more emotional than I ever imagined it to be,” she said.

First ladies typically donate their inaugural ball gown to the Smithsonia­n Institutio­n, but President Joe Biden had no such celebratio­ns. He took office at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when such large indoor gatherings were discourage­d.

So Jill Biden parted with the ocean blue tweed dress and coat that she wore to her husband’s swearing-in at the Capitol on Jan. 20, 2021, and the ivory silk wool dress and cashmere coat she wore at the White House that evening. They were designed by Alexandra O’Neill, founder and designer of Markarian, and Gabriela Hearst, founder and creative director of Gabriela Hearst, respective­ly. In recognitio­n of the historic nature of the inaugurati­on, the face masks the first lady wore were also added to The First Ladies Collection at the National Museum of American History.

She praised both designers, who spoke at the ceremony. Jill Biden said she met O’Neill when the designer was just starting out.

“Her designs seemed both timeless and new, and that was exactly what I was hoping to find, because young people showed up and voted for Joe in historic numbers, and I wanted to reflect the passion, creativity and hope that day,” the first lady said.

She credited Hearst with always pushing her to “step out of my comfort zone” and try new things.

“But I didn’t need any convincing about the design of this dress,” Jill Biden said. “My focus on Inaugurati­on Day was being a first lady for all Americans,” and Hearst understood.

“She adorned this dress with the flowers of every American state and territory. And she placed Delaware, my home, just above my heart,” Jill Biden said.

Jill Biden said the face masks are small pieces of cloth but they “represent the enormity of what we all faced at the time: A pandemic that has changed our world forever.”

The exhibit is among the Smithsonia­n Institutio­n’s most popular attraction­s. It features inaugural gowns worn by first ladies Jacqueline Kennedy, Laura Bush, Michelle Obama and others. Since Helen Taft in 1912, every first lady who has been approached by the Smithsonia­n and who has an inaugural gown has donated it, said Lisa Kathleen Graddy, a curator of American political history at the museum.

 ?? MANDEL NGAN/GETTY-AFP ?? Fashion designer Gabriela Hearst, from left, first lady Jill Biden and fashion designer Alexandra O’Neill are seen Jan. 25 at the presentati­on of Biden’s 2021 inaugural ensembles to the Smithsonia­n in Washington, D.C.
MANDEL NGAN/GETTY-AFP Fashion designer Gabriela Hearst, from left, first lady Jill Biden and fashion designer Alexandra O’Neill are seen Jan. 25 at the presentati­on of Biden’s 2021 inaugural ensembles to the Smithsonia­n in Washington, D.C.

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