In July 2021, Jill Biden embarked on her first solo overseas trip to the Tokyo Olympics. Before the Games began, she met with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, wearing a long-sleeved floral Tom Ford dress with a collared neckline that smartly paid homage to the country's culture. The black, white, green, yellow, and blue silk dress is listed for $2,475 on the designer's website, where it's unavailable, though Moda Operandi offers it at this time for $598.
Up close, the similarities of the midi-length dress to traditional Japanese culture are clear. Its belted waist is similar to the sashes seen in traditional satin kimonos, known as "obis," which were worn for modesty. In the photo shared by Woman & Home, the FLOTUS is seen barefoot, which, per The New York Times, is due to Japan's cultural fascination with feet.
In May 2022, the first lady donned the dress again at the press preview for the Met Costume Institute's "In America: An Anthology of Fashion" exhibition, where she spoke about "the power of fashion" (per Vogue). She typically talks little about her own style publicly, telling Vogue in 2021, "It's kind of surprising, I think, how much commentary is made about what I wear." We have to say, this is one matter in which we disagree.
