One of Kennedy’s most iconic looks is unfortunately symbolic because of the dark events tied to it. On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was shot in Dallas, Texas, while riding in the presidential motorcade alongside his wife, who was later seen covered in her husband’s blood.

After being advised to clean up after the tragic event, Kennedy said, “Let them see what they’ve done”, according to The New York Times.

The first lady knew the image of blood smeared on her pink Chanel suit was powerful and jarring: The stained suit symbolised the end of an era.

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2. Michelle Obama wore “pearls you have to deal with” on the 2008 campaign trail

“Those are not little Breakfast at Tiffany’s pearls. Those are large pearls. Those are pearls you have to deal with,” Essence editor-at-large Mikki Taylor told The New York Times.

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The size of Obama’s pearls made a statement, as Taylor suggested, and showed she wasn’t afraid to be bold and also that she wasn’t ashamed to go faux, suggesting a humble nature.

3. Obama also chose an armour-like gown after Donald Trump’s derogatory comments about women

On October 18, 2016, Michelle Obama wore a stunning Atelier Versace gown at the White House for her final state dinner as the first lady. Shining from head to toe, Obama’s glittering chain-mail gown was thought to reference female empowerment. The chain mail, while fluid and moulded into a feminine silhouette, was unapologetically warrior like.

The look came within two weeks of Donald Trump’s Access Hollywood leaked recording scandal and of her vulnerable speech in New Hampshire, in which she reflected on Trump’s hurtful words about women.

Designer Donatella Versace described Obama’s one-of-a-kind look, as well as Versace’s related women’s spring/summer 2017 collection, as “all about a woman’s freedom: freedom of movement, freedom of activity, freedom to fight for their ideas, freedom to be whomever you want to be”, quoted in The New York Times.

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4. Obama then wore a unifying purple for a White House transition meeting with Melania Trump

On November 10, 2016, days after Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential race and two months before his inauguration, the Obamas hosted a meeting at the White House with Trump and first lady-to-be Melania Trump. Michelle Obama wore a deep purple cocktail dress with a bright orange stripe.

The colour purple can symbolise bipartisanship and unity. Politicians have worn the colour over the years as a symbol because it’s seen as a middle point between Republican red and the Democrats’ blue. So it’s apt that, in a meeting where Obama was welcoming her replacement from an opposing political party, she would wear a purple dress with bright detailing that alluded to hope.

In addition to the colours, the designer of the dress, Narciso Rodriguez, also spoke volumes for this occasion. Rodriguez is an LGBTQ+ Cuban-American designer and a child of immigrants. Obama frequently wore his designs, including to other high-profile events like President Obama’s 2008 election victory.

In 2018, Michelle Obama acknowledged wearing designs by immigrants, as well as those by young women and Black designers, saying, “You can change their lives.”

5. Melania Trump’s pussy-bow collar after her husband’s Access Hollywood remarks were leaked

On the night of October 9, 2016, at then-presidential candidate Donald Trump’s second debate against Hillary Clinton, first lady Melania Trump stood by her husband in a bright fuchsia Gucci blouse with a large collar.

One popularly theorised message behind the style was that it was tied to Donald Trump’s recent Access Hollywood scandal. In the leaked recorded conversation with Billy Bush, Trump is heard boasting about his power over women, using that infamous euphuism.

Some viewers believed Melania Trump was showing her support for her husband by wearing the shirt, especially combined with its cheery colour and her overall happy appearance. However, in politics, the pussy-bow has symbolised protest and female empowerment, so it also could have also suggested Trump was protesting her husband’s past words.

However, a spokesperson for Donald Trump told CBS News reporter Sopan Deb there was no meaning behind the shirt. “Campaign spokeswoman says this was not intentional,” he tweeted.

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6. Trump stood out in a sea of #MeToo-tribute black outfits in a bright white ensemble

On January 30, 2018, at the State of the Union address, Melania Trump stood out from the crowd. While most Democrats in attendance wore black in solidarity with the #MeToo movement’s victims, Trump stepped out in an elegant off-white pantsuit by Christian Dior and off-white blouse by Dolce & Gabbana.

Trump could have been protesting against the #MeToo movement or against the Democratic Congress people – wishing to stand out in their sea of black – or she could have been standing in solidarity with victims: white was also tied to the movement, as well as famously to women’s suffrage, and many viewers speculated that she was indicating her support. The white ensemble could have been Trump’s own nod and support for the movement and the victims.

“Though it was unclear at the time whether Mrs. Trump really understood the implications of [the pussy-bow] blouse choice, wearing a white suit to the State of the Union indicates that, indeed, she did,” The New York Times’ Vanessa Friedman wrote at the time.

7. Jill Biden’s blue inauguration dress evoked “trust, confidence and stability”

Jill Biden attended her husband’s inauguration in a serene, cool blue dress and coat. The tweed-wool ensemble encrusted with Swarovski crystals helped present the first lady as elegant at the side of her husband.

Alexandra O’Neill, founder and designer of Markarian, the New York-based label that designed Biden’s custom-made dress, said that the dress and colour were meant to represent “trust, confidence and stability”.

The designer added, “I love that her focus has been on emerging designers so far. I think she recognises the power and impact that her clothing choices have on emerging talent.”

Biden took a leap in choosing O’Neill, an emerging American designer at the time, and stepping away from traditional and iconic inauguration dress designers. Biden’s choice, in that sense, was a contradiction to former first lady Melania Trump’s inauguration dress by Ralph Lauren, seemingly saying out with the old and in with the new (talent).

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8. Biden wore a sunflower on her dress at the 2022 State of the Union to show support for Ukraine

As Russia continues to invade Ukraine, much of the world is overwhelmingly showing support for the Ukrainian people. At President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on March 1, a majority of the attendees wore blue and yellow, representative of the Ukrainian flag.

First lady Jill Biden showed her support by wearing a vibrant blue silk LaPointe dress embroidered with a yellow sunflower on her sleeve. Sunflowers are the national flower of Ukraine and have also become a symbol of resistance against Vladimir Putin.