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The game of fashion’s first lady is played 12 months a year, pretty much anytime, watched by a worldwide mass of avid spectators who care about national, personal and political reasons. Participants are recruited as soon as they get their jobs, whether they want it or not.
Jill Biden is known to be a reluctant gamer (“It’s quite surprising, I think, how many comments are being made about what I wear,” she told Vogue).
Not for her the strategy of fashion diplomacy, mastered by Michelle Obama, in which you defend a designer who connects both your country of origin and a host country. Not for her the high fashion tactics of Melania Trump, confusing the parade and realpolitik.
But she nevertheless proved that there are many ways to score, at least judging by her first solo trip as the head of the US delegation to the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
During her four days abroad, she didn’t just represent American industry, topped with a roster of local designers. She also, perhaps more importantly, embodied the theme of the Olympics, which was billed as the greenest Games to date with the motto “Be Better, Together – For the Planet and the People”. Dr Biden apparently wore only one new item of clothing throughout her trip to Japan: the navy Ralph Lauren jacket and pants that were part of the official US Olympic team uniform and that she wore in her role. official booster for the US Olympic team. .
Other than that, her clothes were all recycled outfits from her closet. And not just on fun family getaways: at public events. Often very important public events, filled with photos and recorded for history.
The Narciso Rodriguez red cape dress she wore when she landed in Tokyo? Worn on a trip with Dr Anthony Fauci to a Florida vaccination site in June.
The floral Tom Ford worn to dinner with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and his wife Mariko? Brought to the G7 summit in Great Britain in July.
The Polka Dot Brandon Maxwell at the Opening Ceremony? Ditto (this one under the much-discussed “Love” jacket). Not to mention the white Michael Kors dress worn in Tokyo under a Team USA jacket; the dress had made a pre-G7 appearance under a navy jacket when President Biden and the First Lady arrived in Britain. Even the lilac dress Dr Biden wore to disembark in Honolulu on the last leg of the trip had already been seen.
The recycled wardrobe may seem unimportant, but it has been virtually unheard of since the turn of the 21st century when it comes to image making, celebrities and their powerful political or entrepreneurial counterparts.
Instead, the constant demand for new content seems to have equated to a new dress – whether it’s on the red carpet, a premiere, or a state occasion. It was fun to watch, a great distraction for the designer to guess. But it also had the perhaps unintended effect of reinforcing the throwaway culture around fashion that helped create the glut of things everyone now laments; to convey the message that every outing deserves its own outfit.
For Dr. Biden to simply say no to this cycle is as big a break with recent tradition as the fact that she continues to work as a professor during her time in the White House. And it can be just as important, and maybe even (if people are paying attention) influential.
She doesn’t reject fashion – every look she wore is part of current New York Fashion Week history, each from both established and rising American brands. It is doing its part to promote local businesses on the world stage.
On the contrary, by putting back her clothes, she underlines their value; the idea that when you find a piece of clothing that you love, that makes you feel effective, and that you like the best version of yourself, you keep it. If it made you feel this once, it will do it again. That such a garment is worthy of investment in the long term. That it’s as much for the woman inside as it is for the audience watching. That it is not a disposable. That you could do it too. Whether it’s something we can all relate to, whether or not we are aware of the sustainability aspect of things.
Of course, it’s possible that all of this dressing up was just a coincidence. That she was so busy heading into the Olympics (she’s certainly very busy and, according to Vogue, she doesn’t have a stylist) that she didn’t have much time to think about what she would take away, and just took anything from her closet.
But given that this was his first solo trip, which automatically meant more eyeballs, and given his tense nature – the angst and controversy surrounding these Olympics being held – a such a conclusion seems unlikely.
Especially since the pandemic restrictions resulted in a shortage of other members of the public in the arena, Dr Biden knew she would stand out from the crowd. That what she said might not be heard, but what she was wearing would definitely be seen.
And while her recycling of styles became apparent in scattered events over the first 100 days of her husband’s administration – and also reflects the climate-driven aspect of the Biden agenda – he perhaps has peaked with this trip.
All of this suggests that this will now be a defining feature of Dr. Biden’s time in the East Wing; part of how she moves the role forward. If so, everyone wins.
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