Nancy Reagan walked onto the Washington scene wearing a one-shouldered James Galanos gown. Like Jackie O before her and Michelle Obama after, she opted to wear white. The dress was satin, overlaid with beaded ferns, complemented with white gloves and beaded shoes. “The Reagans were bringing glamour back to Washington,” Graddy says, starting with the decision to host a white-tie inaugural ball. Though it’s hard to argue that she and her “Ronnie” cut anything but a fine figure, Mrs. Reagan was criticized for her preoccupation with fine duds and jewels during her husband’s administration.
Belles of the Ball: An Insider’s Look at Inaugural Gowns
As the fashion industry speculates about what Michelle Obama will wear this Monday, we look back at other memorable inauguration gowns through history
Nancy Reagan, 1981: California Glam
Full List
Inaugural Gowns
- Inaugural Gowns Through History: The Way They Wore
- Edith Roosevelt, 1905: A Practical Matter
- Helen Taft, 1909: The Dress That Started It All
- Eleanor Roosevelt, 1933: The Inauguration Veteran
- Mamie Eisenhower, 1953: Pretty in Pink
- Lady Bird Johnson, 1965: Thinking Long Term
- Pat Nixon, 1969: A Bolero for the Ball
- Nancy Reagan, 1981: California Glam
- Rosalynn Carter, 1977: Something Old, Something New
- Barbara Bush, 1989: A Close Call
- Hillary Clinton, 1993: Picking Purple
- Laura Bush, 2001: Scouting Out the Competition
- Michelle Obama, 2009: An Obsession Begins