Add to the political strategy that in the future “transparent efforts to change the narrative and repair the damage done to Joe Biden in the first presidential debate” the dress that Jill Biden wore to accompany her husband to his meeting the next day. in Raleigh, NC
As President Biden tried to allay some concerns about his age and energy on Friday, his wife, a political spouse who often seems to choose clothes that fade into the background, took her place next to him in a navy blue crepe dress plastered with one word times again and again: “Vote.”
Given the many post-debate reaction stories that focused on viewers’ anxious feelings about Mr. Biden’s shaky performance, that couldn’t have been a coincidence.
Especially considering that Dr. Biden has often seemed reluctant to engage in the game known as first lady fashion diplomacy, largely wearing clothes by designers she feels comfortable with, rather than clothes that have a clear tactical connection to an event. That she chooses a dress that is guaranteed to draw attention to herself, and that in a time when any attention that is not about her husband’s age is probably good attention, is a statement in itself.
After all, there could be no doubt that all eyes would be on the president at his first post-debate meeting, in part to assess whether his weak showing from the night before would be repeated. Or that the photos of that rally would be spread far and wide. And that, as a result, what his wife wore, as with every detail of his appearance, would send a message not only to the general public but also to the class of political pundits that Mr. Biden has called on to step aside . Whoever noticed that the main influencer would be his wife.
He may have spoken, but that dress spoke.
It was by Christian Siriano, a designer known for his inclusive approach to fashion and who created the iconic blue dress that Michelle Obama wore to the 2016 Democratic convention. In an email, Mr. Siriano said the team at the first lady had contacted him about a month ago to request a new version of a ‘vote’ dress he had made for his Spring 2021 collection.
Rebecca Feinglos, the founder of @rouwleave, a grief support platform, said she wore one of the original Siriano ‘vote’ dresses when she met Dr. Met Biden a few months ago at an event. The first lady “asked me where I got my dress,” Ms. Feinglos wrote in a message Instagram post“and I was so excited to tell her his story.”
Mr. Siriano said that when Dr. Biden called, he “came up with this shape that felt classic but modern and hopefully tasteful for this event today.”
He added: “I think after the first debate we all knew it was going to be an important debate that could send a message to the world.”
This is the third time in the past four years that Dr. Biden wears a piece of clothing with a message written on it.
In 2020, before the last presidential election, Dr. Biden a few Stuart Weitzman knee high boots wherever it says ‘vote’. And in 2021, at the first Group of 7 meeting in Britain after the president took office, she wore a jacket with the word “love” on the back. The choice was widely interpreted as a response to the jacket Melania Trump infamously wore during her husband’s administration with the words, “I really don’t care, do I?” scribbled on the back.
Now the matchup is back, and so are the words about clothes. Perhaps it is only to be expected. Dr. Biden is an English teacher. She knows exactly how much concise language matters, even if it’s on a dress.
