As we celebrate Presidents Day, let’s not forget the women that have filled the important role of First Lady. These influential and intelligent women stood beside their husbands and advocated for issues dear to their hearts. The First Ladies were also significant in the world of fashion, so much so that Vogue has featured First Ladies in their pages since 1929. We’re thrilled to spotlight the gorgeous portraits from the Vogue archives, see the images below.
Name: Mamie Eisenhower
Husband: Dwight David Eisenhower
Term: 1953-1961
Vogue: 1955 feature
Fashion Fact: Mamie Eisenhower adored fashion and the color pink. She attended fashion shows regularly, even shows in Paris.
First Lady Initiatives: Her major role was being a homemaker, reflective of most middle class American women during the 1950s.
Name: Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (Jackie O)
Husband: John F Kennedy
Term: 1961-1963
Vogue: Sept. 1953, Feb 1961, April 1961, July 1961, Aug. 1961, Dec. 1968, Nov. 1970, June 1973, Aug. 1986
Fashion Fact: Jackie Kennedy was, and remains, a fashion icon. Her most memorable look is the pink suit and pillbox hat worn on the day her husband was assassinated in 1963. The suit was an exact replica of a Chanel suit and was even made with Chanel fabric.
First Lady Initiatives: She is long remembered for applying her interests in culture and style to restore the White House.
Name Lady Bird Johnson
Husband: Lyndon B. Johnson
Term: 1963-1969
Vogue: May 1964 feature
Fashion Fact: Mrs. Johnson wasn’t devoted to fashion, and once said, “I like clothes—I like them pretty,” she told Time, “but I want them to serve me, not for me to serve them.”
First Lady Initiatives: Lady Bird Johnson created a beautification project called Society for a More Beautiful National Capital to improve (and beautify) the physical conditions in Washington DC for residents and tourist.
Name: Nancy Reagan
Husband: Ronald Reagan
Term: 1981-1989
Vogue: May 1981 feature
Fashion Fact: Nancy Reagan is known for her love of fashion and the color red. Her favorite designers included Bill Blass and Oscar De La Renta.
First Lady Initiatives: Nancy Reagan launched the “Just Say No” drug awareness campaign in 1982, to educated young people of the effects of drug use.
Name: Barbara Bush
Husband: George W. Bush Sr.
Term: 1989-1993
Vogue: August 1989 feature
Fashion Fact: Mrs. Bush wore a sapphire velvet-and-satin gown from Arnold Scaasi for the 1989 inaugural outing. She is known for her signature snowy white hair.
First Lady Initiatives:Barbara Bush founded the “Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy”, her efforts to bring national attention to, and help eradicate illiteracy in America began long before she became First Lady.
Name: Hillary Rodham Clinton
Husband: Bill Clinton
Term: 1993-2001
Vogue: December 1998 Cover
Fashion Fact: Oscar De La Renta is her designer of choice. She famously replied to a reporter asking about her taste in clothing designers, “Would you ever ask a man that question?”
First Lady Initiatives: Hillary Rodham Clinton major initiatives included health care reform and women and children’s health, education and well being. She regarded the Adoption and Safe Families Act her greatest accomplishment as First Lady.
Name: Michelle Obama
Husband: Barack Obama
Term: 2008-present
Vogue: March 2009 and April 2013 cover
Fashion Fact: Vogue listed First Lady Michelle Obama as one of the best-dressed women of the decade. Her love for emerging, young American designers and mass-market brands have made her a modern-day style icon.
First Lady Initiatives: Michelle Obama’s major initiative is aimed at helping to end childhood obesity, which is named, “Lets Move Initiative!”
