First Lady Jill Biden drew attention at a recent White House state dinner.
President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, hosted a dinner for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his wife, Yuko Kishida, at the White House on Wednesday. According to WWD, the FLOTUS chose an Oscar de la Renta dress with sapphire ombré art nouveau crystal embroidery and a back split.
Biden wore minimal jewelry, only a pair of dangling earrings, but her dress shined enough. She wore her hair in a low bun and finished her look with sparkly stiletto heels that exactly complimented her dress. Meanwhile, the president kept things simple yet looked sharp in his black suit.
A video demonstrating how Jill's outfit was meticulously constructed was circulated on social media. Several netizens praised the FLOTUS' choice of clothing for the event.
"Gorgeous! The photographs didn't do it the justice it deserved," one person said. Another user concurred, saying, "As a lover of all bling dresses, this is gorgeous!"
"An amazing work of art! Wow!!!!" added a third person. "Simply gorgeous expert craftsmanship. @FLOTUS looked so lovely. Bravo @OscardelaRenta," another user wrote.
Another person said, "@FLOTUS is always gorgeous."
Jill has previously been spotted wearing Oscar de la Renta outfits. Jill attended her husband's 2020 victory celebration in a short-sleeve navy dress embroidered with flowers from the same design company, according to InStyle.
She wore a similar ensemble from the same designer on her Vogue cover in 2021. According to The Washington Post, Jill's Oscar de la Renta gown was a "expected choice" given that she has worn the brand since 2016.
Jill's communications director, Elizabeth Alexander, told Vogue in her 2021 cover story that the first lady does not work with a stylist. As a result, she frequently wears clothes designed by Brandon Maxwell and upcoming new designers.
"I think that's important: you try to lift up other people," Jill stated of her dress choices during the interview. "I like to choose from a diverse group of designers. When I was planning my Inauguration outfits, that's one of the things I considered."
When Jill was informed of an Instagram account that shared her ensembles, the FOTUS claimed she had not seen it and screamed, "Oh, great," while rolling her eyes.
"It's kind of surprising, I think, how much commentary is made about what I wear or if I put my hair in a scrunchie. I put my hair up! Or the stocking thing," she remarked. "It's amazing how much people pay attention to every little detail."
When President Joe Biden visited with a group of Muslim community leaders this week, he mentioned a recent chat he had with first wife Jill Biden about the violence in Gaza.
According to two witnesses at the conference, one of the guests informed the president that his wife was concerned about his choice to attend the event, considering the strong criticism Joe Biden has received for his handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
According to the participants, Biden mentioned his own wife and closest confidant.
"It's got to stop," he recalled the first lady saying to him recently, according to Dr. Nahreen Ahmed, who was there in the room.
Another attendee, who did not want to be identified, told CNN that they remembered the president saying that the first lady uttered the words "Stop it. "Stop right now."
While the attendee believed the suggestion was that the first lady was calling for an end to the war, Ahmed was unsure if the first lady's comment was meant at the Israel-Hamas conflict as a whole or the rising civilian death toll in Gaza.
"It's got to stop," he recalled the first lady saying to him recently, according to Dr. Nahreen Ahmed, who was there in the room.
Another attendee, who did not want to be identified, told CNN that they remembered the president saying that the first lady uttered the words "Stop it. "Stop right now."
While the attendee believed the suggestion was that the first lady was calling for an end to the war, Ahmed was unsure if the first lady's comment was meant at the Israel-Hamas conflict as a whole or the rising civilian death toll in Gaza.
When asked about the president's comments, a White House official claimed there is "no daylight" between the pair on the topic, with both expressing indignation over civilian fatalities. The official said that Dr. Biden was not urging Israel to abandon its efforts against Hamas.
The New York Times was the first to report on the president's statements about the first lady.
A top adviser to the first lady said she is "heartbroken" about the deaths of civilians, including relief workers, and agrees with her husband that Israel needs to do more to secure civilian safety.
“Just like the President, the First Lady is heartbroken over the attacks on aid workers and the on-going loss of innocent lives in Gaza,” said Elizabeth Alexander, communications director for the first lady. “They both want Israel to do more to protect civilians.”
The president recounted his wife's message on the same evening that he condemned an Israeli strike in Gaza that killed seven World Central Kitchen relief workers, one of whom was a dual US-Canadian citizen.
The charity group was formed by chef Jose Andres, a personal friend of the Bidens. The president and first lady have both accompanied Andres on tours abroad, highlighting World Central Kitchen's efforts.
The first lady has only made a few public references to the crisis between Israel and Hamas.
“When Hamas attacked Israel, Joe knew what to do,” she told donors at event in Atherton, California, in November. The first lady said she “wouldn’t wish the tragic events of this last month on any American president, but I’m so grateful that Joe is our president during these uncertain, unpredictable and tumultuous times.”
She has also heard protestors' displeasure with her husband's handling of the conflict. The first lady was interrupted at least four times by pro-Palestinian protestors during a speech in Tucson, Arizona, last month, and supporters of a cease-fire have congregated outside some of her campaign engagements.
