Why Grace Kelly Was a Key Inspiration Behind Markarian’s Inauguration Look for Dr. Jill Biden

From Town & Country

On January 20, all eyes were on the Bidens as they arrived at the Capitol for the Inauguration, but no one was watching Dr. Jill Biden more closely than Alexanda O'Neill of Markarian. In December, Biden's stylist had reached out to O'Neill about the possibility of designing the First Lady's Inauguration look. "We were given parameters like what silhouettes and colors she likes to wear, but then we were given creative freedom," says O'Neill.

She immediately began researching past inauguration looks as well as what world leaders past and present wore. She channelled Grace Kelly in particular. " Grace Kelly was a big one for me because she was so elegant. Plus she was a blonde, like Jill, which helped with choosing colors. I knew I wanted to do something classic and feminine, with beautiful tailoring and structure to make Dr. Biden look strong and confident. She's such an impressive, accomplished woman and I wanted that to shine through." The resulting design was a blue coat with a dark blue velvet collar and cuffs worn over a tapered dress with a scalloped skirt, each hand-embellished with Swarovski crystals for a subtle sparkle.

O'Neill and her team had just a month to construct the dress, coat, and matching mask. All of Markarian's clothes are made in New York City's Garment District, and the outfit was personally supervised—and chauffeured—by O'Neill. "We had to do fittings remotely because of Covid-19 and shipping carriers were really overwhelmed. I drove the samples back and forth from D.C. to deliver them myself to ensure everything went smoothly."

After the final hand-off the week before Inauguration Day, O'Neill waited to see if the Markarian outfit would be selected by Dr. Biden. "I had a good, hopeful feeling, but to see it was really amazing. Not only is she supporting an American designer—and I am so humbled to be a part of this—but she drew attention to the Garment District and the workers here, which are such an important part of New York City."

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