FIRST LADY DR. JILL BIDEN BREAKS THE INTERNET WITH HER INAUGURATION DAY LOOK
By: Amber Lynn Woodie
Tags: Style, Coronavirus, Covid-19, Beauty, Fashion

FIRST LADY DR. JILL BIDEN BREAKS THE INTERNET WITH HER INAUGURATION DAY LOOK

By: Amber Lynn Woodie

Who is Alexandra O’Neil? Many Inauguration Day watchers found themselves asking the same question when First Lady Dr. Jill Biden stepped out in a vibrant ocean blue tweed jacket and dress from the New York based boutique Markarian. First Lady Biden seems to be following the tradition set by past first ladies, by choosing a lesser known designers. O’Neil was first approached by the First Lady’s stylist in December, along with numerous other designers O’Neil sent in her sketches and anxiously waited. She was elated to hear that the First Lady selected her design, and that’s when the real work began O’Neil assembled a six-person team to help her tackle “the ultimate” task. She goes on to state that “the coat, with its dark blue velvet collar and cuffs, is worn over a tapered dress with a chiffon bodice and scalloped skirt,” O’Neil said of the design in a release.

“The neckline of the dress is hand embellished with Swarovski pearls and crystals in a delicate floral pattern. The same Swarovski crystals adorn the coat and dress, subtly reflecting the light”. As previously mentioned O’Neil hand sewed each and every Swarovski pearl and crystal embellishment to the exterior of the dress and coat, as she does with majority of her pieces seeing as 50 percent of the Markarian’s orders are made-to-order in an effort to reduce waste. Because the conventional fashion system is not only monetarily wasteful, it is additionally exceptionally harming to the climate. As indicated by the 2019 Global Wellness Trends Report, fashion is the world’s second most awful guilty party as far as water pollution. It is likewise liable for generally 10% of all carbon emissions. The cost of beauty and style on the planet is high and genuine. While the cost of fashion may be tolling the environment, the environment seems to be tolling back, the fashion business has been hit hard by the Coronavirus pandemic. Billions of dollars of clothing orders made with manufacturers around the world have been postponed if not cancelled all together. Even major retailers have suffered. Online sales have plummeted as much as 30–40% in the US according to Forbes. A greater part of the fashion and design industry are probably going to endure huge monetary loss throughout the next few months. Many won’t recover. A survey conducted by retail predictive analytics company First Insight found that 65% of women said they will not feel safe trying on clothes in dressing rooms due to the COVID-19 crisis. It also found that 54% of men said they do not feel safe using dressing rooms also. Due to COVID-19 restrictions all in person fittings with the First Lady were nipped in the bud, and the team’s construction of the gown had to be done remotely following all COVID guidelines (for all updates and information regarding COVID-19 visit www.cdc.gov/coronavirus).

But despite the struggles of restrictions due to COVID-19 O’Neil and her team pressed on, the goal for the two-piece ensemble was “something beautiful, classic, and feminine that would stand the test of time”. Others can’t help to noticed the color O’Neil decided on for the outfit… ocean blue. Not only is the color blue associated with royalty but it also represents dependability, intelligence, persistences, and trustworthiness, which are all things our country is in need of right now. Studies also show that blue has a calming and relaxing effect on the psyche, that gives us peace and makes us feel confident and secure. It’s been said that First Lady Dr. Jill Biden is aware of the impact that her choices have on fashion. O’Neil says “It’s such a huge moment. It’s incredible to be even a small part of American history. As for the future we’ll just have to see where this moment takes the Markarian”. Local online boutique owner Kierra Lyons shared her thoughts on the events, “while the future of fashion may be uncertain momemts like this give small boutique owners across the country hope. Hope that our winning moment is around the corner, hope that our businesses will survive this pandemic… just overall hope. I like to believe I speak for all small business owners when I say I was proud to see another small business owner (Alexandra O’Neil) achieve something so great.”