jill biden flotus inauguration outfit
First lady Jill Biden wore a Markarian blue coat and dress to Inauguration Day.
JONATHAN ERNST/POOL/AFP via Getty Images; PATRICK SEMANSKY/AFP via Getty Images
  • Jill Biden’s inauguration outfit included a custom coat and dress from NYC-based brand Markarian.
  • Designer Alexandra O’Neill chose the blue shade as it signifies “trust, confidence, and stability.”
  • Biden’s silk mask matched her dress and coat, which were adorned with Swarovski pearls and crystals.
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Jill Biden’s striking blue Inauguration Day outfit set the tone for her future fashion statements as FLOTUS.

Holding Joe Biden’s hand as he was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, the first lady wore a custom ocean-blue dress and overcoat from Markarian, a New York-based luxury fashion label founded in 2017 by designer Alexandra O’Neill.

A representative for Markarian told Insider that the shade of blue worn by the first lady was chosen to “signify trust, confidence, and stability.”  

jill biden flotus inauguration outfit design sketch
A sketch by designer Alexandra O'Neill shows how Jill Biden's Inauguration Day outfit came to life.
Markarian; JONATHAN ERNST/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Biden’s wool-tweed dress included a chiffon bodice and scalloped skirt. The tapered dress also has subtle sparkly details, including a neckline that was hand-embellished with Swarovski pearls and crystals to create a floral pattern.

The first lady’s coat included the same pearl and crystal embellishments that caught the light during the ceremony, and the matching fabric was contrasted with a dark-blue velvet collar and cuffs.

Biden's silk face mask, also from Markarian, complemented the rest of her outfit.

joe biden jill biden
The blue color of first lady Jill Biden's outfit symbolizes trust.
Win McNamee/Getty Images

Biden's look was custom-made by a small team in New York City's iconic Garment District, and O'Neill finished the outfit in her studio in the city's West Village neighborhood.

"Alexandra is incredibly humbled to be a small part of such a historic moment," the brand representative told Insider.

On Twitter, some compared Biden's blue-on-blue look to something the Disney princess Cinderella would wear if she were first lady.

The first lady joined her husband, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris and first gentleman Doug Emhoff in making a joint statement by repping American fashion designers.

President Biden and Emhoff both wore suits from Ralph Lauren, which has a history of dressing political figures on inaugurations and other major events.

Harris wore a purple outfit packed with symbolism, including a nod to Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman to run for president in the US. Harris' outfit included designs from two Black designers: Christopher John Rogers, who's from Louisiana and lives in New York City; and Sergio Hudson, from South Carolina.

Read the original article on Insider