VISUAL CULTURE AND STYLE OF THE FIRST LADY (PART ONE)

NANCY REAGAN *

Liliana Boyanova

As a part of the most famous and commented family in the country, the wife of the American president is „obliged” to be careful for her appearance, not only because she is public person and „face” of the country in front of the world, but because she serves as an example for imitation of the American women. In confirmation of this thesis, we can cite the thought of one of the most profound researchers of the life of the American presidents – Robert Watson. He underlines that the first lady is a „creator of the social and the culture tendencies and the clothes that she dresses, the way she makes her hair and that what she occupies with, often transforms in object of imitation. For example the turbans of Dolley Madison become mass fashion hysteria in the beginning of XIX century. It is little known the fact that namely she is the first president wife that beautifies the cover of a magazine.” (Watson, R., The Presidents’ Wives: Reassessing the Office of First Lady’s, p.78.)

There are famous others historical facts from the life of the first ladies in the past and today that show unambiguously that the visual culture of the president wife is „inevitable” and extremely important part of her public image. Of course, not all of the first ladies in the American history can be called fashion legislators. Although, honored to bring the title „first lady” and although the efforts of their counselors, some of them didn’t ever succeed to struggle with their lack of style and aesthetical sense. And because of this fact, their faces don’t line up at the alley of the honor of the first ladies, transformed in definition of style and fashion icons not only for the American, but for all of the women in the world.

The first lady and the fashion designers
Fashion is universal world language. Our style of clothing describes most exactly what are our values and the way we perceive us and the world. United States aren’t exception from this rule. The Bulgarian proverb “At the clothes welcome, at the mind send” successfully defines the expectations of the American electors from the politicians. As a part of a president institution, respectively of the political life of the country, the first lady of the Unites States was always in the focus of the searchlights and the critics strictly were followed every her step in direction style – from the fact what is the brand of her costumes to the color of her underwear and her hair.

According to the general opinion, the beginning of the big media attention to the charm and to the style of the first lady puts Jackie Kennedy. Instead of oppress it, her successors Nancy Reagan, Hillary Clinton and Lora Bush succeed to double it. We have to notice however that the interest to the fashion isn’t extremely contemporary occupation, as for the electors, as for the first ladies. In the years before the middle of XX century, also show up the figures of president wives that were intrigued from the fashion tendencies and styles. Some of them even were able to influence on the taste and on the preferences of the American woman in times, when the exalting of famous person was not so developed culture phenomenon.

Original fashion pioneer among the first ladies of the United States was found to be the wife of the president Calvin Coolidge – Grace Coolidge (1923 – 1929). Because of her interest to the swimming and to the mountain climbing, the historian Carl Sferanza calls her –“the first American ambassador of the lady’s sports clothing”. She was a personification of the new sports spirit of the nation. The trailers broadcast her during family vacation in South Dakota, where she is wearing equipment for mountain climbing. Grace succeeded to adapt the „flapper” style so good that she receives golden medal from the modeler Charles Word on behalf of the French fashion industry.

In June 1927 in edition of the famous magazine “Vanity Fair”, Mrs. Coolidge was pronounced for honorable member of the Hall of the glory. In the article, devoted to the event was written: “She deserves this title, because she is the first lady and wife of the president of the United States. Besides, she is one of the most liked, interesting and charming mistresses of the White House». In this way, still the wife of the 29th American president imposes the understandings that for the leadership and for the significance of the ladies in the politics it is proof not only their behavior and the messages that they send, but also the way they dress.

Nancy Reagan
Some decades later, the wife of the head of the state from the Republican Party Ronald Reagan – Nancy – proves one more time this rule.

She is famous with the fact that she adores the red color in all its nuances, she even gives it a name – “picker-upper” (the cheering up, the refreshing color) and she is wearing scarlet toilet at the ceremony of entering on her husband’s duties. The fashion handwriting of Nancy as first lady some of the critics compare with the style of Jacqueline Kennedy that transforms the way of clothing in inseparable part of the image of the first lady of the United States in visual narrative of the wife of the president.

The passion of Nancy Reagan for the fashion even transforms in reason for scandal, when in 1982 becomes clear that she had accepted as presents dresses and fashion accessories from famous designers, amounting to value of dozens thousand of dollars. The first lady defends herself from the rising public disapproval with the promise that she will donate part of them to museums, and the rest of them will give back to those she received from. The public discussion at the topic however continues long time and Nancy is forced to promise that she will never dare to accept such kind of presents. However in practice, the first lady continues to “borrow” clothes and accessories from famous designers and this fact bight to light in 1988. Then Nancy confesses that she had broken the given by her before 6 years promise. After she denies at first that she has accepted such kind of things as presents that doesn’t figure in her property declaration, in the end Mrs. Reagan confesses her sin. After years, her presents were valued at more than 3 million dollars, and the concealing of property amounting to more than ten thousand dollars is in contrary to the voluntary agreement for its public announcement, accepted in 1982 with the Act for ethic management. In a moment, when America is found in economic recession, the fist lady dares to buy set for the tea-room of the White House that amounts to 210 399 dollars. Although the expenses on this luxurious buying of Nancy are covered from private donations, this provoked public discussion for the excessive expenses of the first lady. The Americans, who was living at the time of the “Reaganomic” in fact have never forgive her this her decision.

At one more attentive gazing in the photos of Nancy Reagan from the time, when she wasn’t still first lady, we can conclude that at her the style and the sense of aesthetics are innate. Before becoming first lady, Nancy was an actress. Her photos from this period bring one ala Connie Francis and Rita Haywood sense of Hollywood diva. At the photos from the 50s, her hair is cut in the fashion from this period retro style with curls; she wears dark-red lipstick and simple pearly jewels. The clothes are with clean cut, uncolored, it is noticed the Nancy’s passion for blouses that have ties at the neckline. At the photo from their wedding day with Ronald, she had preferred elegant costume with white collar and decoration of white flowers in the hair, holding her discrete veil by white big tulle, instead of the doll type splendid wedding dress.

The photo of Nancy and Ronald Reagan at the board of the yacht from 1964 at the background of the American flag remembers very much to the style of the photos of the president couple Jackie and Bobby Kennedy (mandate 1961-1963). Nancy is with elegant white blouse without sleeve with high collar with pink ribbon on it. Ronald is wearing a blouse in the color of the Nancy’s ribbon. She is with short hair, a hairstyle ala Jackie Kennedy.

An impression in the photos of Nancy from her mandate of first lady as of California (during the time when Ronald Reagan is a governor), as of USA (when he enters on his president’s duties in 1981) make the fact that she is often wearing clothes in red. Even for her official photo from the site of the White House from this period, where the president wife is dressed in her favorite model blouse with high collar and ribbon at it, Nancy had chosen the blood-red. This concerns also her official photo as first lady of California. There Nancy is dressed in costume from two parts – blouse and skirt with slash in the red color scheme. Red toilet, complement by hat in the same color Nancy is wearing at the official parade after the ceremony, at those Ronald Reagan enters on his president duties.

One view on the other Nancy’s photos from her mandate of first lady, selected in Appendix 1 leads to the conclusion that besides the red she had affinity to the official evening dresses from expensive, bright materials. With a similar, white dress Nancy had photographed herself in the Red room of the presidential residence. Black, strictly official dress with many sequins, decorated with discrete pink blossoms the first lady was wearing during the official evening with the first couple of the Soviet Union – Raisa and Mihail Gorbachov in 1987.

A detail review of Nancy Reagan’s photos as from her period of first lady, as from her life before, leads to the conclusion that like the fashion icon Jackie Kennedy, Nancy had possessed an innate sense of aesthetics and style. She wasn’t influenced very much by the fashion tendencies, but she rather imposed them through her way of dressing. The transformations in Nancy’s appearance don’t follow the logic of the history for the ugly baby duck that changes in beautiful swan under the dictates of counselors and image makers and under the pressure of the publicity. During her whole life Nancy Davis (later Reagan) was in the light of the searchlights and of the media attention and we can say about her that after Jackie Kennedy she is the second at importance fashion icon among the first ladies of USA in the past and today.

Among the favorite designers of Nancy Reagan arranges names like Oscar De La Renta, Adolfo Sardina, James Galanos, Carolina Herrera, Geoffrey Beene, Bill Blass, Valentino Garavani and Yves Saint Laurent.
In 1988 the Chamber of the American fashion designers awards at Nancy Reagan life prize for personal style. In written address the ex-first lady transformed in icon of the American fashion of couture answers: “I am happy that I succeeded through my wardrobe to win recognition for the style and for the unbelievable talent of these designers. For me it was a real honor to wear every one cut by them dress or costume. Every one of these clothes brings me some wonderful memory – it reminds me of a special moment from my life – something that I will forever remember and I will be thankful for” ( Reagan, Nancy., Novak, William., My Turn: the Memoirs of Nancy Reagan, Random House, 1989, p.45.)

Chosen models from the clothes of the first lady can be sawn at a special exhibition till the end of this year in the Presidential library “Ronald Reagan”.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

* The series ofLiliana Boyanovais a partof hermaster’s thesis „Style and public imageof the first ladyofUSA and her media presence (Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton, Lora Bush)”, defended in 2008 with excellent markand honorary diplomain theFaculty of journalism and mass communication. Director of studiesProf. Dr.Lubomir Stoykov, reviewerProf. Doctor of Philology SciencesMilko Petrov.

Photos of Nancy Reaganin different toilets:

	Official photo of Nancy Reagan at the site of the White House during her mandate as a first lady of the United States, 1981
	Photo of Nancy Reagan from the period, when she was an actress, 1950
	Nancy Reagan and her husband – the future president of the United States cut their wedding cake, 4th of March, 1952
	Ronald Reagan visits Nancy at the set of the movie with her participation „Donovan’s Brain”, 1953
	Nancy and Ronald at yacht, 1964
	The family Reagan after the official entering on Ronald’s duties „governor of California”, 1967
	Nancy as first lady of California
	The first lady Nancy Reagan and the president Ronald Reagan during the official parade after the entering in the duty „president of the United States, 1981”
	Nancy Reagan looks with pride at her husband during the official taking of an oath as president of the United States, 20th of January, 1981
	The fist lady Nancy Reagan poses for magazine „Vogue” in the Red room of the White house, 1981
	Patty, Paul Greeley, Nancy, Ronald, Doria and Ron Reagan at Christmas, 1983
	Nancy Reagan delivers a speech during a meeting, part of her campaign for fight with the drugs „Just say no!”, Los Angeles, California, 1987
	Nancy as a mistress of the conference of the first ladies in campaign against the drugs, White House, 1985
	Nancy looks at her husband - Ronald, until he takes an oath for his second presidential mandate, 20th of January, 1985
	The family Nancy and Ronald Reagan and the family Raisa and Mihail Gorbachov during an official evening, 1987
	Nancy Reagan at her official portrait in the White House.