Vanity Fair once wrote that comparisons between Michelle Obama and Jacqueline Kennedy were “inevitable,” citing them as “two elegant women, catapulted into the national spotlight by their charismatic, ambitious husbands.”
Americans were captivated by Kennedy and continue to be with Obama for a number of reasons, but you cannot draw similarities between these two women without acknowledging their shared keen sense of style. Whether on a trip to Hawaii or at an inaugural event, both Obama and Kennedy exhibited excellence in dressing the part as first lady.
In honor of Obama’s 53rd birthday today and ahead of Friday’s inauguration, we look back at the two first ladies’ different ― but equally iconic ― styles.
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In Prints
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L: Jackie Kennedy at the opera in 1961, R: Michelle and Barack Obama at a State dinner with Canada in 2016
In Hawaii
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L: Jackie Kennedy in Hawaii in 1966, R: Michelle Obama in Hawaii in 2011
On Inauguration Day
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L: Jackie and John F. Kennedy on Inauguration Day 1961, R: Michelle and Barack Obama on Inauguration Day 2013
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At a State Dinner
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L: Kennedy at a state dinner with France in 1962, R: At a state dinner with Italy in 2016
At Inauguration Weekend Events
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L: With Frank Sinatra at a pre-inauguration gala in 1961, R: At the 2013 inaugural ball
In Florals
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L: The Kennedys at their summer home, R: The Obamas in Cuba in 2016
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In Sundresses:
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L: In India in 1962, R: In Miami in 2012
In Stripes
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L: With her sister Lee Bouvier in 1955, R: In Chicago in 2011
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