Nancy Reagan brought unabashed zeal for luxury to Washington
For better or for worse, depending on whether you were a fan, she brought with her to the White House a unabashed penchant for luxury and high fashion, epitomized by her 1981 inaugural gown by John Galanos ? a sparkling, crystal-laden, one-shouldered white sheath.
FILE – In this Nov. 16, 1988 file photo, President Ronald Reagan, left, and first lady Nancy Reagan, second right, appear with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, second left, and her husband, Dennis at a state dinner at the White House in Washington. Nancy Reagan died Sunday, March 6, 2016, at the age of 94. (AP Photo/Charles Tasnadi, File)
That sheath is displayed at the Smithsonian Institution, not far from the one-shouldered inaugural gown of another fashion-conscious first lady ? Michelle Obama, notes Lisa Kathleen Graddy, curator at the National Museum of American History. ?Nancy Reagan had a very clear sense of style,? says Graddy. ?She enjoyed fashion, and she believed it was part of her job to promote American fashion. She knew she was looked to, to see what she was wearing and WHO she was wearing. She felt this was a very public and often formal position, and so one dressed accordingly.?
Often, that meant opulent creations from Oscar de la Renta, for example, or the California-based Galanos. She also favored Bill Blass. But it wasn?t just her own individual style that the first lady was interested in, Graddy notes. ?She believed in ...