Dr. Jill Biden’s Inauguration Day Outfit Had This Major Significance

The First Ladies of the United States often make headlines for their looks, and as she stood next to her husband for his official swearing-in as the 46th President of the United States, Dr. Jill Biden officially did the same with the ensemble she chose for the big event.

As she and President Joe Biden embarked on a day of traditional festivities honoring the beginning of his term as President, starting with a church service at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington D.C., many quickly took notice of the ocean blue hue of her coat and dress, as well as the designer she chose to feature, Alexandra O’Neill, who founded Markarian.

According to Today, there was a symbolic message behind the ensemble, which was also by a lesser-known American designer, a pattern the First Ladies have traditionally followed.

“The color blue was chosen for the pieces to signify trust, confidence and stability,” the label said in a statement.

Cosmopolitan noted that the blue color (which is associated with her husband’s political party), and what it stood for could also be seen as a subtle dig at her husband’s predecessor, former President Donald Trump, whose presidency was marked by division.

As for the outfit itself, it featured a wool coat with dark blue velvet collar and cuffs. Her dress consisted of a chiffon bodice, scalloped skirt and had a neckline with hand-embellished Swarovski pearls and crystals in a floral pattern.

The outfit also stood out amongst others featured at the event, including Vice-President Kamala Harris, Former First Lady Michelle Obama, Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and others, who all sported shades of purple in their ensembles.

Cosmopolitan reports that the purple shades, while for Harris, were representative of Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman to run for President, it is also believed that it is a nod to bipartisanship, and the unity that Joe Biden has sworn he wants to restore in the country, and the fact that it featured on some of the most prominent women at the Inauguration, was also a nod to that being one of the shades on the suffragette flag when women were fighting for the right to vote.

The First Lady also sported the shade while attending a memorial ceremony for the 400,000 lives that have been lost to the Coronavirus Pandemic the eve before the Inauguration as well.