Two of the most talked about outfits from President Trump’s inauguration put opposite ends of the fashion spectrum on display with First Lady Melania Trump opting for buttoned-up couture and a hat covering her eyes that observers compared to a 1960s style flying saucer, while guest Lauren Sanchez stood behind the president with what many viewers felt was an inappropriate display of cleavage.

One of the most striking looks was first lady Melania Trump, wearing, inside and out, for the whole event, a navy Eric Javits boater hat with a white stripe.

The rest of her wardrobe, overwhelmed by the dramatic hat, featured a custom-designed navy ensemble by American designer Adam Lippes, with a silk wool coat and skirt paired with an ivory-colored blouse. Ms. Trump wore navy pumps with five-inch heels.

“The tradition of the presidential inauguration embodies the beauty of American democracy and today we had the honor to dress our first lady, Mrs. Melania Trump,” said Mr. Lippes in a statement provided to Vogue Magazine. “Mrs. Trump’s outfit was created by some of America’s finest craftsmen, and I take great pride in showing such work to the world.”

While Mrs. Trump’s outfit turned heads, it was Ms. Sanchez’s jaw-dropping outfit that had people buzzing. The helicopter pilot was seen wearing a low-plunging white blazer with what appeared to be white lace lingerie peeking out from underneath as she joined her fiance, Jeff Bezos, one of the world’s richest men, on the dais. Ms. Sanchez’s cleavage was on full display in perhaps the most immodest garment ever worn by a prominent guest to a presidential inauguration ceremony.

“I gasped when I saw it!” Summer Anne Lee, a presidential fashion historian and professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology, said to Newsweek. “I imagine this revealing lingerie moment has got to be a ‘first’ in inauguration fashion history, even if she is just an attendee and not a part of the ceremony.”

Others took to social media to criticize Ms. Sanchez’s outfit choice.

“Why is Lauren Sanchez at the inauguration at all?  Because of the ceremony being moved indoors to the Rotunda with limited space, no spouses were allowed, even for Trump’s administration,” Women for America First Executive Director, Kyle Jane Kremer said in a post on X. “Yet, Bezos’s fiance is there in a bralette?”

It has long been an informal tradition to wear American-designed clothing to inauguration ceremonies. In 2017, Mrs. Trump was snubbed by many American designers who refused to provide an outfit, according to Women’s Wear Daily. She opted for an outfit from Ralph Lauren for President Trump’s previous inauguration.

The magazine says that this might still be the case after they reached out to 16 designers — including Michael Kors, Prabal Gurung, and Zankov — who all declined to comment or said they were unavailable.

“We went out to the helicopter just prior to this,” Mr. Trump said to an overflow crowd in Emancipation Hall moments after seeing off Biden and his wife. “The wind is blowing like crazy. And with the hat that she’s wearing, she almost blew away.

“We almost lost her. She was being elevated off the ground, she almost blew away now. So, we all appreciated this. You’ve been a great first lady.”

Former first lady Jill Biden also went with an American designer, wearing a bold purple ensemble from the iconic Ralph Lauren label with a matching coat, gloves, and shoes. 

Her husband also wore a suit from a fashion designer, who recently became the first to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Vice President JD Vance’s wife Usha opted for an outfit reminiscent of Jackie Kennedy in a pink coat dress and taupe boots, while the President’s daughter Ivanka Trump wore a sleek dark green number topped off with a pillbox hat and a Christian Dior handbag.

Inside the rotunda and on the dais, many of the men in attendance — including Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams — were clad in suits with ties in many different shades of red, but the women made more individual choices for their outfits.

Senator Fetterman of Pennsylvania, kept it casual, opting to wear his normal everyday wear of a Carhartt hooded sweatshirt, shorts, and sneakers for the ceremony.