'American United' showcased through fashion at Biden's inauguration day
Jan 20, 2021
Washington [US], January 21 : As the theme of Biden's inauguration was "American United", the US fashion industry took a centre stage at the momentous occasion with both President Joe Biden and second gentleman Doug Emhoff chose to wear suits designed by Ralph Lauren.
The Bronx-born son of Jewish immigrants, Lauren, has been the standard-bearer for luxury Americana for over 40 years.
Vice President Kamala Harris wore Christopher John Rogers and Sergio Hudson, two black designers originally from Baton Rouge, and South Carolina, respectively, NPR reported. The fashion choices represent a return to elevating American-made designs and lift up both young designers and two designers of colour. 
The first lady Jill Biden opted for a blue coat and dress embellished with Swarovski crystals and pearls by Alexandra O'Neill, originally from Colorado, who designs for Markarian, based in New York City. She coordinated her blue Markarian coat with her husband's blue tie from Ralph Lauren, a label famous for its classic, All American image.
The colour of the day seemed to be purple, which is the colour of the women's suffrage movement. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, former First Lady Michelle Obama, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were seen in varying shades of purple to send a symbolic message through their wardrobes.
The colour, a mix of both red and blue, is traditionally recognised as a sign of bipartisanship, The Hill reported.
Clinton donned her signature pantsuit in a monochrome fashion, including a blazer, trousers, a matching ruffled scarf, and a darker-hued overcoat.
Obama opted for a plum hue for her ensemble and stunned while wearing a turtleneck, wide-leg pants, and a matching cinched belt by Sergio Hudson, another Black American designer who she has worn previously.
The women's suffrage movement was a decades-long fight to win the right to vote for women in the United States.
On August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was finally ratified, enfranchising all American women and declaring for the first time that they, like men, deserve all the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
As the inauguration ceremony took place amid the COVID-19 pandemic, masks were also part of the material culture of this inauguration. Biden wore a sky blue mask that appeared custom-made to match her coat, and other members of her family chose a similar monochromatic theme.
Harris opted for a shiny black number that complimented her purple outfit, one of her signature mask looks.
