DESIGNER QUOTA: The White House pulled out all the stops on Wednesday evening for the state dinner in honor of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his wife Yuko.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden welcomed a crowd that included Apple’s Tim Cook, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, actor Robert De Niro, Bill and Hillary Clinton, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, Planned Parenthood leader Cecille Richards and Olympian figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi.
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State dinners are more about diplomacy than anything culinary, and Wednesday’s occasion was no exception. Guests sat for dinner among purple, pink and blue hydrangeas – native to both countries – and glass and silk butterflies. As the first lady explained in a pre-dinner preview with the media on Tuesday, the decor was intended as a reminder of how the US and Japan are “navigating the winds of change together” as partners in peace and prosperity.
While the men kept it traditional with tuxedos, several high-profile women wore designer labels. FLOTUS wore a Fall 2024 sapphire ombré Art Nouveau crystal embroidered dress by Oscar de la Renta that she purchased. Her eldest granddaughter Naomi chose a different route: she borrowed a dress from the vibrant label Bernadette.
The late designer Oscar de la Renta had a long track record of dressing first ladies over the years, and the successors to his eponymous company – Laura Kim and Fernando Sanchez – have continued that tradition. That FLOTUS wore the American brand for such a monumental outing is significant for the designer company headquartered and atelier in New York City. The first lady has previously met Kim and Garcia, who immigrated to the US and each became US citizens.
Biden bought the dress which was made on a tee with her measurements. Unlike during the Obama administration, when designers often hoped, but weren’t sure, whether their creations for Michelle Obama would be worn at major appearances until the first pair ventured out, the de la Renta team knew in advance that they would be the last part of Wednesday’s state dinner.
Jill Biden also chose Oscar de la Renta for the first state dinner she and the president hosted for French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte in 2022. Oscar de la Renta has expanded its intergenerational appeal in recent years, thanks in part to other VIP clients like Ariana Grande.
FLOTUS wasn’t the only family member at the event to make a signature fashion choice. One of her granddaughters, Naomi, appeared in a dress with a cherry blossom print from the Belgian label Bernadette. Fashion editors and insiders are buzzing about the Antwerp company, founded by the stylish mother-and-daughter duo Bernadette and Charlotte de Geyter. Naomi’s dress was selected for her by the Geyters and “lent to her especially for this event,” a company spokeswoman said.
Shoppers can still find the $960 Minnie Floral Cape dress that the first granddaughter wore, as it is still in stock at Moda Operandi. However, supplies for the blush dress had already dwindled in the hours after Biden was photographed wearing the dress to the state dinner.
In Fall 2022, Naomi Biden turned the spotlight on Ralph Lauren, wearing a custom Ralph Lauren Collection dress made from Chantilly lace with hand-placed organza petals along the bodice and flared into the skirt for her South Lawn wedding ceremony at the White House. That evening, she accessorized her look with a strapless Reem Acra ivory silk Mikado gown for the White House reception and cake cutting ceremony. Her father, artist Hunter, was not at the White House on Wednesday evening.
Vice President Kamala Harris upped the fashion quota on Wednesday in a shiny Valentino ensemble (her assistant told the pool reporter), and she and her husband Doug Emhoff took the media-populated route, which they don’t normally do.
A look at Naomi Biden’s style over the years
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First daughter Ashley Biden told reporters at the state dinner Wednesday night that she was carrying Reem, according to a White House pool report. All in all, some of the more forceful guests found themselves at a loss for words when peppered with questions from the press. Amazon’s Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sanchez (unmissable in a strapless, sheer red bustier dress) did not speak to reporters. Sanchez reportedly chose a gown from UAE-based eveningwear source Rasario. Executives at the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and founder Rasida Lakoba also did not respond to a DM seeking comment Thursday morning.
Apple’s Cook ignored a question about any plans to donate to the Biden campaign. One of Biden’s more ardent public supporters, multi-Oscar winner De Niro, sailed in with his girlfriend Tiffany Chen. When asked how he felt about the 2024 election, De Niro replied: “What do you think?” and kept moving, according to the pool report.
The Clintons were happy to be back in their former hometown. When asked by a reporter what it was like to be back, Bill Clinton replied: “Great, especially for this.” After a reporter pointed out the portrait of Hillary Clinton hanging nearby, the Clintons smiled when they saw it, the pool report said.
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