Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
However, I think her outfit and appearance were very much intentional.
Honestly, I've seen her dress so much better. I thought she looked AWFUL, from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet. I was shocked by her appearance actually.
It's simple, really - the Kennedy's and the Obama's were young and fairly attractive couples. Most presidential couples haven't been - in fact, most of the first ladies have been somewhat (occasionally very) unattractive and a bit frumpy, even if their husbands looked good. They couldn't have carried off anything beyond old lady fashion even if they wanted to.
Melania Trump will be interesting to see - obviously, she's the best-looking first lady in history, and was actually a fashion model (and still looks like one), but unfortunately she is married to a pretty awful-looking and unpopular man. So while she can certainly physically carry off anything, her taste level is questionable, and at this point the association of anything with Trump makes it less popular, not more popular. So it's unlikely she'll be able to set trends right now so much as end them.
Historically, Mary Todd Lincoln was the fashionista to end all fashionistas, when it comes to First Ladies. Mary was very pretty as a young woman and was quite the belle, with her sparkling bright blue eyes matching her sparkling quick wit. She had reddish hair and a pretty fair complexion, and belonged to a well-to-do and respected family who educated its daughters to a far higher level than was typical.
After completing formal schooling, the later years of which were conducted entirely in French, Mary Todd borrowed her older brother's college textbooks (from Transylvania College) and studied them diligently - women were not then admitted to Transylvania, the oldest college west of the Alleghanies. She also met with her brother's professors, several of whom expressed regret that she was barred from officially attending their classes.
Mary Todd loved pretty clothes from childhood, and once her husband entered politics, she took full advantage of her opportunities. Those opportunities increased when Lincoln became president - Mary bought gloves by the dozens, the finest lace, and hired a freedwoman who became a good friend as her personal dressmaker/designer.
The formal styles of the 1860s were florid and floral - heavily trimmed silks and brocades, worn with eye-catching jewelry and wreathes for the hair. Mary was short, but although she became stoutish, she retained a small waist and is said to have had beautiful shoulders, which she displayed liberally with trendy off-the-shoulder necklines.
Later, shopping became therapy - literally, as the Lincolns lost two of their four sons in childhood, one while in the White House. The Civil War brought additional tragedy, as Mary's relatives were divided, with her brothers fighting for the Confederacy and a younger sister the widow of a Confederate general, while other sisters, like Mary, were staunch Unionists.
Sadly, Mary's emotional fragility overcame her and she became a shopaholic after Lincoln's assassination and the death of her surviving younger son, Thomas "Tad" Lincoln, in his late teens(like Jacqueline Kennedy, Mary Todd Lincoln was seated next to her husband when he was shot). Eventually, after a course of kindly treatment in a private "asylum", Mary's equilibrium was restored and she was able to live an independent life once again. During these years, she enjoyed traveling in Europe and was especially fond of her little namesake granddaughter, son Robert's son, also Mary. It's good to know she retained some joy in life, given the terrible tragedies and still-extant ugly gossip she endured during her lifetime.
Photos of Mary Todd Lincoln as First Lady show her elaborate clothing quite well. Much of it looks far too overblown to modern eyes, but these garments were all made with the finest materials and workmanship, and were the height of fashion in their day.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
