It's an interesting point. We've all been hailing Michelle Obama's inherent sense of style, but when I flipped through inaugural outfits from past decades, I realized that they're pretty much indistinct, and the subtle differences there were had to do with the individual's figure and the style of the time. What really made each of these ensembles unique was the woman's personality, how she wore her clothes (or let her clothes wear her, Eleanor Roosevelt (below). Yikes.)
Similarities between the presidential wives' fashion makes sense. All have top designers vying to create their clothes. All employ the best hair and makeup people money can buy. But they also have to maintain as Doonan says, a conservative, appropriate image—none of us wants to see our first lady sporting cleavage, or showing too much leg. Basically, none of us wants our first lady to look like the Real Housewives of D.C.
Take a gander at these first women. See if you agree.
Courtesy of the Clinton Library
