Photograph by Maidun Collection/Alamy. If you look at photos from presidential inaugurations throughout the years, it’s hard not to notice the coats and hats. Partly, of course, because the outerwear is what you see at an outdoor swearing-in ceremony. But it’s also because the choices can sometimes be bold, setting a fashion tone for the administration or sending a message to those watching. Here, a few looks that made lasting impressions.   1953 Mamie Eisenhower Photograph courtesy of National Archives, Eisenhower Presidential Library, Abilene, Kans. Eisenhower wore a pink rhinestone dress to a ball following husband Ike’s first inauguration. In a Time article years later, a member of the Maine Trappers Association recounted how he arranged for the organization to give her a beaver coat after he heard that his jeweler friend had subsequently sold out of rhinestones. Mink coats were status symbols in the ’50s, and the First Lady was photographed frequently in hers­—including at her husband’s first swearing-in.   1961 Jackie Kennedy and John F. Kennedy Photograph by Bettmann/Getty images. The influence that Jackie’s style carried was powerful. When she dented her hat while clutching it in the wind that morning, she reportedly set off a wave of designers creating pillbox hats with similar silhouettes. Fun fact: Though a photo published by Life magazine makes the coat appear blue, the true hue was beige–at the time, processing color photos was complex and imperfect. At JFK’s swearing-in, she wore an Oleg Cassini coat and a pillbox hat—her signature—by Halston. For decades, top hats were a traditional accessory for Presidents on Inauguration Day­—JFK was the last to wear one.   1981 Nancy Reagan Photograph courtesy of ABC Photo Archive/Getty Images. At her husband’s first ceremony, she wore an ensemble by friend and favorite Adolfo, in what became her signature hue: “Reagan red.”   1997 Hillary Clinton Photograph courtesy of ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images. Not focused on style early on, Hillary met Oscar de la Renta soon after becoming First Lady. He later often dressed her—including in this pink coat for Bill’s second inaugural.   2001 Laura Bush Photograph by David McNew/Getty Images. Then–Washington Post fashion critic Robin Givhan called this coat by a Texas designer “tasteful but safe, the Inauguration Day equivalent of a little black dress.”   2009 Michelle Obama Photograph by Pool/Getty Images. Obama has broken the internet with her fashion choices, first in 2009 (above) with her gloves from J. Crew–a chic but approachable brand she favors–and again in 2021 at Joe Biden’s inauguration in a monochromatic outfit of burgundy pants, turtleneck, overcoat, and belt by Sergio Hudson. Between her ensemble and the dress Kamala Harris wore that was also Hudson’s, the LA designer told Vogue his website crashed. The new First Lady paired a chartreuse dress and jacket by independent designer Isabel Toldeo with green J. Crew gloves.   2017 Melania Trump Photograph by Pool/Getty Images. The First Lady’s blue dress, collared jacket, and gloves by Ralph Lauren drew comparisons to Jackie Kennedy’s inaugural look.   2017 Kellyanne Conway Photograph by Win McNamee/Getty Images. The Trump adviser called this red-white-and-blue Gucci coat (with matching gloves, hat, and bag) “Trump revolutionary wear.”   2021 Joe Biden Photograph by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images. His attire conveyed patriotism and unity: a navy ensemble by American Ralph Lauren, whose designs have been worn by political figures of both parties over the years.   2021 Amanda Gorman Photograph by Win McNamee/Getty Images. The color of this coat, Gorman told Vogue, was a nod to Jill Biden, who had complimented her on a yellow dress she’d seen Gorman wear. The poet’s accessories included gifts from Oprah Winfrey: Nikos Koulis earrings and an aviary ring by Of Rare Origin–an homage to Maya Angelou, who’d also worn gifts from Oprah as the inaugural poet at Clinton’s 1993 ceremony. The youth poet laureate captured everyone’s attention reading her poem “The Hill We Climb” in a sunny yellow coat and red headband, both by Prada.   2021 Bernie Sanders Photograph by Pool/Getty Images. He became a meme at Biden’s ceremony in a coat by Burlington-based Burton and mittens knit by a Vermont teacher. This article appears in the January 2025 issue of Washingtonian. The post Inauguration Fashion: Outfits That Made a Statement in History first appeared on Washingtonian.