Jill Biden Loves Fashion, but Don’t bother Asking About It

Jill Biden doesn’t want to talk about fashion. It’s one of the few sticky moments in her new Mode Profile: writer Jonathan Van Meter asked about his style, and was immediately shut down.

In particular, the First Lady showed a triumphant smile that said very clearly, “Let’s continue.” The communications director looks uncomfortable, but allows Mode one small spoon. Biden doesn’t work with stylists. This is all he is, he said.

Biden looked uncomfortable when asked about an Instagram profile documenting each of his outfits, @drjillbidenfashion. He rolled his eyes. He didn’t notice. The pandemic-era austerity and the desire to focus on the bigger issue required him to be calm.

It’s kind of surprising, I think, how many comments are made about what I wear or if I tie my hair, Biden said. But the shell provides one quote: I like to choose from a diverse group of designers. When I’m planning my Inaugural outfit, it’s one of the things I consider.

The First Lady is thrust into an impossible conundrum: their job is to humanize their husbands, and each struggles against the notion that they are nothing but jewels. If you want to be taken seriously, you have to turn the fashion down. But even though she protests otherwise, Jill Biden takes dressing very seriously. Especially in the last few weeks.

There he is Mode the cover, which the Bidens wore Oscar de la Renta flowers. The collar is high and long like tea, with the sleeves spreading. The look exudes a kind of unfussy and monied quality. It doesn’t scream expensive, but it’s a whisper.

Biden, true to his words, have championed young American designers such as Gabriela Hearst and Jonathan Cohen. Still he doesn’t stoop to the pull of heavy-hitting names either.

In recent weeks she has worn Carolina Herrera, Ralph Lauren, and Dolce & Gabbanatwice. His decision to take the ever-controversial line, whose founders are still reeling from the fallout of a racist controversy in 2018, ruffled some feathers on social media. But on a larger scale, it remains largely unnoticed. (Melania Trump is also a D&G fan.)

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Jason Kempin

The 23-year-old British student behind @drjillbidenfashion, who asked not to be used, told The Daily Beast that FLOTUS often makes my job very easy. Biden repeats many of his outfits—another attempt to distract from fashion.

When trying to identify an outfit, fashion @drjillbiden will check the social media accounts of Bidens designers like de la Renta, Brandon Maxwell or Veronica Beard. If the outfit is custom made, wait for the brand to confirm it on their Instagram page.

@drjillbidenfashion says he’s seen the First Lady recycling certain clothes about 5-10 times since the inauguration. “I think this is a great message to send about sustainability in fashion as well as good optics during difficult times when many people are struggling,” he said. The fact that [Biden] wearing his designer pieces several times balances the price.

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Carolyn Kaster

Biden knows what he likes and buys in bulk. The creator of her Instagram fashion page noted that the first lady had two versions of the same Narciso Rodriguez dress, one in black and one in orange. He wore a darker version to visit victims’ families at the Surfside condo that collapsed this week.

I can understand that repeating so much can be a little tedious from a strict fashion perspective, but I think it’s a very smart choice, says @drjillbidenfashion. I think it also depends on Jill Biden as a person. I don’t imagine him wearing new clothes every day when he teaches, and I think that’s a philosophy he brought to the White House.

Laird Borrelli-Persson, Archive Editor for digital Mode, think that Bidens’ style is personal and relatable. But he understood why the First Lady was on the defensive when asked about it.

The role of women in society has changed more than people’s perceptions of fashion, says Borrelli-Persson. It may be 2021, but fashion is still associated with feminine, frivolous things; in harmony with the surface rather than the substance. This is a fake binary; Of course it’s possible to be smart and talented and care about clothes, but there are double standards. There is no doubt, however, how important it is for the American fashion industry to be supported.

Samantha Barry, editor-in-chief Enchanting, said that Dr. Biden is a brilliant monochrome outfit queen; there are many examples of her elegant appearance in all the colors you can imagine, especially around the inauguration.

He was right: Biden wore a matching seafoam green coat and gown to his swearing-in. That evening she wore Gabriela Hearst’s all-white outfit, with flowers embroidered by each state and territory on the hem.

But Biden has been receiving prints of late, including a bold butterfly image on a Brandon Maxwell dress he wore to visit a vaccination clinic in Texas. Both of his Dolce & Gabbana options display an odd pattern; which she wore to another event promoting the shot featured a zebra and lemon print.

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Sarah Silbiger

So Biden got a little more excited about his fashion. It makes sense that she would use her outfit to mark brighter days as America seeks to emerge from the crippling pandemic. Along the way, she carved out the style she wanted to be remembered for with clothes that were memorable, but not the moment.

She wore a special de la Renta gown several times which featured an orange print. This is one of @drjillbidenfashions’ favorite looks. I love that she wears it with yellow pumps, said the admin. This is the perfect outfit for spring and summer. It’s never boring thanks to the giant prints and accessories.

That’s where the so-called Bidens force relatability lives. She is a woman who loves clothes and seems to enjoy getting dressed even if she doesn’t want to talk about it. And does he really need to? The clothes seem to speak for themselves.