Fashions of the U.S.’ first ladies

Whatever Michelle Obama chooses to wear to the inaugural balls could soon have a special place for display -- right next to a dress worn by Martha Washington in the 1780s that featured painted flowers, butterflies and other insects.

Gowns worn by first ladies for more than 200 years have returned to public view in a revamped gallery at the National Museum of American History. The gallery, “First Ladies at the Smithsonian,” shows the evolution of the exhibit since it first opened in 1914 as the first Smithsonian exhibit to prominently feature women.

Curators don’t seem to have any hints about what Obama will wear on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20.

“We’re as anxious to see it as everybody else,” said Lisa Kathleen Graddy, curator of the first ladies exhibit. Already, Michelle Robinson Obama has been added to a timeline of the first ladies.

The exhibit places 14 first ladies’ gowns alongside other objects, such as Abigail Adams’ slippers and Nancy Reagan’s famously expensive china. Mamie Eisenhower’s rose-colored silk gown worn at a 1957 state dinner at the British Embassy stands near Eleanor Roosevelt’s pink rayon inaugural reception gown from 1945, trimmed with lace and sequins.

“We like the idea of juxtaposing some of them to show different shapes and just different people,” Graddy said. “We hope that we’ve managed to sort of hop-skip through time and show a variety of the different styles.”

Freshening up

It’s a scaled-down, temporary version of the first ladies exhibit while the museum makes plans to renovate its west wing with new permanent exhibits on the presidency, first ladies and other political topics. Fundraising continues for the museum’s ongoing overhaul, said spokeswoman Valeska Hilbig.

The history museum recently reopened after a two-year $85-million renovation that brought major changes, including a new gallery for the Star-Spangled Banner flag, a sunlit atrium and open corridors to help visitors find their way around.

In a video of former presidents and first ladies that’s part of the exhibit, Barbara Bush said she never imagined she would be donating one of her gowns to the Smithsonian.

“It is a bittersweet moment to give this dress up,” she said.

Front and center in the gallery is Helen Taft’s white-silk chiffon inaugural gown from 1909 -- just 100 years before Obama’s inauguration will be.

Changing fashions

“You can’t play favorites,” Graddy said. “But I admit to having a special fondness for Helen Taft’s dress. It’s the first inaugural gown to be donated directly by a first lady.” That donation in 1912 helped kick-start the collection and was followed by a donation from every first lady since.

Some dresses are on display for the first time in years, including an evening gown worn by Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961 for her first state dinner for Tunisian President Habib Bourguiba. The one-shoulder, yellow silk dress was designed by Oleg Cassini.

As for what fashions the former first ladies may inspire for the future, it’s hard to say. Kennedy’s gown and a flapper-style number worn by Grace Coolidge in velvet-trimmed gold metallic lace would be chic today.

“I don’t know that we’re ever going to see the bustle again,” Graddy said. “But we’ve certainly been seeing the [high] empire waist in the last few years and Dolley Madison’s gown is certainly an empire style. So things move back and forth.”