Biden to wear blue single-breasted Ralph Lauren suit on Jan 20, years after designer was slammed for dressing Melania
Though there are many concerns about the upcoming Inauguration, how the incoming president will be dressed is not one of them. President-elect Joe Biden will reportedly be wearing a suit designed by Ralph Lauren, in a custom made piece designed especially for the occassion. According to Women's Wear Daily, Biden has been working closely with the world-reknowned American fashion company to design a suit for January 20, 2021. The suit is being made in Rochester, NY, at the recently renamed Rochester Tailored Clothing, which has manafactured suits for Hickey Freeman for over a century. The Hickey Freeman brand has made a significant mark in American politics, producing Team USA’s blazer for the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics in 2016. The brand is a personal favorite of Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Biden and his wife, Jill, have been known to wear Ralph Lauren designed clothes many times over the years.
Though the specific details of the suit remain secret, it is expected that the suit will not be a huge departure from Biden's usual suits. WWD reported that the suit will probably be dark, and in keeping with Biden's usual style of suits that are "single-breasted, notch-lapel, two-button suits in navy or, lately, a lighter shade of blue." He will likely be wearing a simple, white shirt and blue tie to represent his status as a Democrat president.
This piece of news is one of the few things about the upcoming inauguration that is certain - there is much about the day that remains up in the air. After the January 6 attack on Capitol Hill, there is increased security in place for Biden's inauguration. President Donald Trump, who has still not officially conceded the 2020 presidential race, has publicly declared that he will not be attending the inauguration, and many fear that pro-Trump supporters may attack the ceremony. This, combined with the need for social distancing due to the coronavirus pandemic, means that the inauguration ceremony will be far from traditional. Instead of being held at the US Capitol, it may be held elsewhere for security purposes, and the traditional parade down Pennsylvania Avenue will instead be a virtual event.
According to WWD, neither Ralph Lauren nor the Rochester Tailored Clothing factory had any comment on what Biden's wardrobe for the day would consist of. However, one source close to the brand is reported as saying that Biden's choice of suit will "symbolically be a sartorial selection that would indicate a return to decorum and decency in the Office of the President."
Ralph Lauren suits are widely considered to represent a more somber tone, one that's reflective of responsibility and level-headedness. That's very likely the tone that Biden seeks to strike on his first day as president, after the four years of instability that have come under Trump. Of course, Ralph Lauren has designed clothes for both sides of the aisle, and famously designed the pale blue dress that Melania Trump wore for her husband's inauguration, which inspired the #boycottralphlauren trend on Twitter.