Some first ladies have said that, in general, they were expected to pay for their clothes themselves.
Laura Bush, the wife of George W Bush, wrote in her 2010 memoir that she was “amazed by the sheer number of designer clothes that I was expected to buy… to meet the fashion expectations for a first lady”.
“After our first year in the White House, our accountant said to George, ‘It costs a lot to be president,’ and he was referring mainly to my clothes,” Mrs Bush wrote.
Michelle Obama’s press secretary, Joanna Rosholm, told CNBC in 2014: “Mrs Obama pays for her clothing.”
US first ladies can also accept clothes as gifts, often on behalf of the government.
Some designers welcome the publicity their clothes being worn by the first lady offers them.
With the price tags of designer dresses easily running into the tens of thousands, donations are the only way comparatively less wealthy occupants of the White House can afford to wear star designers.
“For official events of public or historic significance, such as a state visit, the first lady’s clothes may be given as a gift by a designer and accepted on behalf of the U.S. government,” Mrs Rosholm said.
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