Five Out-Of-Date First Lady Outfits We Can't Forget

Donald Trump's 2024 presidential victory brought up plenty of memories of Melania Trump's first time as First Lady into the public's consciousness. Perhaps one reminder, however, that some might wish to forget, are some of the scandalous outfits she and other women in the Trump family have worn throughout her husband's political career.

Over the years, Trump and other former first ladies have been put under the microscope for fits some might perceive as questionable or unfashionable. In remembrance of some of the questionable fashion choices Trump and the other women formerly in her position have made, we've taken a look at five unforgettable outfits worn by first ladies that are better left in the past.

First Lady Jill Biden has had some iconic fashion moments. However, as recently as the 2024 Democratic National Convention, she totally missed the mark with a tacky dress observers might soon hope to forget. While she attended the event, Biden sported a blue, flashy dress which also appeared rubbery and form-fitting.

On X, formerly Twitter, some observers noted Biden's dress simply looked too informal for an occasion like the DNC. "Jill Biden got her club dress on," one user said. "I see you." Despite the attention it received at the time, the DNC might not have been the first time Biden was seen wearing the dress. In a September 2022 post made by the official POTUS Instagram page, Jill noticeably wore a very similar outfit while posing with Elton John and President Joe Biden after the former was awarded the National Humanities Medal.

While she served as first lady from 2016 to 2020, Melania Trump was noticed multiple times for her questionable clothing. One outfit in particular was viewed as being especially inappropriate due to its cryptic language and the poor timing of when she wore it.

In June 2018, Trump was spotted wearing a green jacket featuring the words "I really don't care, do u?" across the back. At the time, she was on her way to visit family separation victims in Texas. Though, per CNN, she claimed the jacket's message was actually directed toward her left-wing critics, and former press secretary Stephanie Grisham argued it had no meaning at all, critics speculated about her true intentions and decried the outfit choice, considering the lack of empathy it conveyed while she visited migrant families.

Former first lady Michelle Obama is certainly no stranger to having flaunted looks that totally missed the mark. One outfit which dates all the way back to her husband, Barack Obama's first inauguration, seemed archaic, even by that era's standards.

In January 2009, Obama was seen sporting a sparkly tweed coat and dress. Several fashion authorities took notice of the dress, comparing it to walking furniture while Obama wore it. "Is she walking around in inaugural upholstery?" former Glamour magazine editor Bonnie Fuller asked, per the BBC. Despite the negative reception toward its old-fashioned appearance, its design was well-intentioned, as designer Isabel Toledo had hoped its yellow color would convey hopeful thoughts. "I wanted to capture optimism, I wanted it to feel happy, I wanted it to feel inclusive," she told Reuters, per the BBC.

In 2006, then-first lady Laura Bush wore an outfit that went out of style almost as quickly as she put it on. At that year's Kennedy Center Honors event, Bush wore a red Oscar de la Renta dress which presumably turned heads not just for its design, but also for the amount of people wearing it. Soon after she arrived, the first lady was struck with a crisis-level situation when she realized she was one of a baffling four women wearing the exact same dress.

Thankfully for Bush, she was able to find a quick alternative and swiftly switched her apparel. However the memory of her dress mishap seems inescapable, as a picture of her wearing it will, unfortunately, forever be commemorated on that year's White House Christmas card.

Throughout her political career, former first lady, secretary of state, and New York senator Hilary Clinton has been recognized by outlets like FEMAIL for what they consider to be some of her worst fashion fails. One such misstep, however, took place at perhaps the worst event possible for it to happen: The Met Gala.

At the Met Gala in 2001, Clinton was present wearing a loud, leopard print dress. While she could have potentially made her appearance work with just the dress, she drowned out her dress' pattern by adding a bronze shawl which clashed with the dress' similar color. Though some might look back at the outfit today as outdated, Grazia was unafraid to recognize Clinton for her bold outfit in a retrospective concerning the event.