Suited to Lead: New exhibit highlights historical fashion choices of presidents

"There's been much conversation about the fashion choices of America's first ladies, from Jacqueline Kennedy to Michelle Obama. But a new exhibit unveiled this week showcases the clothing choices of the presidential men of the White House and what those sartorial statements meant from a Founding Father to a peanut farmer. "Suited to Lead," an online exhibit by the White House Historical Association examines how presidents used their dress to make statements about themselves and their governance."

""The presidents were so much more interested in dress and fashion than we might typically think," said exhibit curator Fiona Hubbard, a New York University student mastering in costume studies who interned at the association. "They all had a really unique approach to how they dressed and all of them really impacted or left their own mark in dress in a way that you can see through the objects that are in the exhibit."

""The British army wore red coats, and to situate themselves as opposed to British rule, George Washington commanded the Continental Army to wear blue coats," she said. "So he was dressed as a visual signal of what it meant to be American, and this did really impact society. It was all about being American, looking American, dressing American at that time."

The online exhibit "Suited to Lead" by the White House Historical Association presents presidential clothing and its meanings, highlighting George Washington, John Quincy Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Harry S. Truman, Theodore Roosevelt and Jimmy Carter. Presidents used dress to convey leadership identities, national allegiance and social values. George Washington favored homespun, American-made fabrics and commanded blue coats for the Continental Army to signal opposition to British rule and embody American identity. Later presidents left distinct sartorial marks, with Jimmy Carter's more casual attire reflecting a societal shift toward comfort. Museum objects illustrate individual approaches to dress and their cultural impact.

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