In her debut international trip as first lady, Dr. Biden played her part with style. Literally.
The first Joe and Jill Biden American Outreach tour, a.k.a. the Group of 7 meeting in Britain, came to a conclusion Sunday evening; though the president continued on to Brussels for NATO and a meeting with Vladimir Putin, the first lady returned to Washington. It had been, by most pundit-y accounts, a success: an effective use of the stagecraft of state to make the point that America is back at the table, ready to talk (and listen), once again an ally in the league of nations. That this administration, and this first family, is not like the last one. To prevent anyone missing the message, Dr. Biden put it in bold, bright letters — literally, the word “Love” picked out in rhinestones on the back of the Zadig & Voltaire jacket she wore on day one of the gathering. And though there was much speculation that said garment was a sly riposte to the “ I Really Don’t Care, Do U? ” jacket that Melania Trump famously wore during her time as first lady, a likelier explanation is the one the Dr. Biden gave: “We’re bringing love from America.” It’s enough of a statement, after all. And though members of Dr. Biden’s staff generally play down any idea that the first lady is using fashion to send a message — they want the focus on her work, not her wardrobe — this one was hard to deny. It suggests that in fact the first lady is more than ready to use costume to make a point, especially at moments of high political theater like the G7, where the imagery is as choreographed as any of the meetings behind closed doors. She’s the model of the very canny first lady next door. That’s why the G7 family photo, with the president smiling gamely in his dark suit and bright blue tie while sandwiched, albeit in a socially distant way, between Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, was so important; why Dr. Biden’s trip to visit schoolchildren with Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, mattered; why the photo of the Bidens looking relaxed and cheerful with Queen Elizabeth II went ’round the world.
