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Laura Bush and the Oscar de la Renta Gown



Did you know first ladies aren’t supposed to wear gowns off the rack to formal events? Laura Bush learned this lesson the hard way after showing up at a 2006 White House reception in the same gown as four other guests. CBS News correspondent Thalia Assura described the red dress as “... $8,500 Oscar de la Renta dress…”. After Bush’s staff realized several other women were wearing the dress she was escorted upstairs to change. Several articles were written about the mistake but reportedly everyone involved including the First Lady found it amusing. Anita McBride, Laura Bush’s chief of staff, clarified that normally first ladies would only wear custom dresses to avoid this embarrassing fashion faux pas. She went on to explain “...you can understand why they have to have things done just for them, particularly for state dinners or Kennedy Center Honors or things overseas. You can understand the need for the outfit to be unique.”. Luckily all parties were able to laugh about the situation, but I wonder how many male political figures are wearing the same suits at formal events?



Citations:


https://www.insider.com/why-first-ladies-cant-wear-clothes-off-the-rack-2021-11


https://www.cbsnews.com/news/laura-bush-among-four-ladies-in-red/


Comments

  1. Stephen DiltsNovember 29, 2023 at 12:58 AM

    Wow, you made a really good point in your last sentence. Often male leaders wear virtually indistinguishable outfits. They are very similar, or effectively the same outfit. This probably underscores a much larger discussion about gender norms for women, and being expected to look and dress unique. As for Laura Bush, she probably was fearful of being seen in the same dress as another. And I also did not know that first ladies had such "rules" about formal event dresses. Maybe politicians' priorities, as well as the media's, should be on politics instead of dresses.

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  2. H CollinsNovember 29, 2023 at 6:48 AM

    I think it is very interesting that within our society we have deemed it embarrassing for women to accidentally match but when it happens to men no one bats an eye. Although the fashion industry itself is unique and full of options I do not find it surprising that women with similar careers and status may enjoy the same styles. Unfortunately, this is a no-win situation because even if she had picked a custom dress, there would be people complaining about her unethical choice to have something made for her specifically. Perhaps popular shopping outlets for officials should take a tip from prom shops and not allow multiple people to purchase the same dress if attending the same event.

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