Here’s What Regular Folks Wore to the Inauguration Galas

Donald Trump has been sworn in as America’s 45th president and, as per tradition, a number of gala balls were thrown for the occasion. We took to the streets to find gala-goers, hoping to get a sense of how they picked what to wear for the festivities, a fashion tip or two, and their thoughts on the political landscape. Here’s what we found:

David Resnik and Nour Qushair (above)

“I’m wearing a rented coat from Men’s Warehouse.” — David Resnik

“I got this off Amazon.” — Nour Qushair

Erik and Lily Laykin

“My hat here is from the 1890s, and I thought it was a tribute to Mr. Lincoln. Lily’s hat is a fabulous new faux-fur hat that just came in. It’s politically correct, no animals died.” — Erik Laykin

“Some real change on a very grassroots level, you can see it on a daily basis.” — Lily Laykin

“Less talk, more action, let’s really get things done, let’s make America great again, I hate to sound clichéd but, starting with some basic stuff and bringing the people together. I think Trump has a huge job to do to heal all these divisions and wounds. He’s got to find the middle ground.” — Erik Laykin

Frank Scurlock

“I’m from the city of New Orleans, and New Orleans is pretty crazy with Mardi Gras and stuff like that, so I actually happen to have a collection of pretty wild and unique jackets, and when we came up here for this wonderful event I said, ‘You know, this is the jacket that I choose to wear.’ We’re draining the swamp; I decided to bring some swamp boots from New Orleans.” — Frank Scurlock

Lauren Mills (right)

“I am wearing an Eliza J dress from Nordstrom and really, really old shoes and a Dennis Basso faux-fur Leopard coat.”

“I hope everybody walks away with some good vibes, a good feeling, laid back, but ready to work over the weekend. We’ve got a lot to do and the country needs to get reunified and he’s the man to do it.” — Lauren Mills

Lance Griffen

“Just wearing a black tuxedo, a tan, beige cashmere trench coat and a red ‘Make America Great Again’ cap and a plaid cashmere scarf. I hope to see America made a little bit greater again.” — Lance Griffen

Leo and Angie Wells

“The coat is out of Carmel, Calif., Augustina Furs; the dress I’m not even sure. I’m, unfortunately, not a name-brand person. The earrings I’ve got on are my favorite from a store on St. Simons Island in Georgia named Talbots.” — Angie Wells

Marie Melendez

“I love Trump, I’ve been a Republican for a long time. God gives it to me [my outfit]. I bought this in Quito, Ecuador, two years ago; it’s a fox or a wolf, I like both animals. My shoes, it’s the first time I’m wearing them for the inauguration, I just walked by a store in Miami and said, ‘These are my inauguration shoes’. I used to work in welfare fraud, so I’m aware of all the fraud that goes on in all kinds of welfare benefits; I worked for 15 years over there. So I believe now we’re going to be seeing more justice and America being great again.” — Marie Melendez

Parker Tracey

“I am wearing a vintage cape that I got in 2001 when I moved here and worked on Capitol Hill and made 26-grand a year and could only spend like $10 on a coat. My dress is cobalt Democrat blue, and I rented it from Rent the Runway. I don’t know who makes it, but it’s strapless and sculptural and fun. I want us to be excited about working with and getting to know people who are not like us.” — Parker Tracey

Ryan and Cortney Reeves

“We’re going to a Gatsby-themed ball, so I figured go with the flapper outfit.” — Cortney Reeves

“We tried to pull our inspiration from the Great Gatsby movie, probably not the best source, but pretty good. We looked at that and picked our best ones from that.” — Ryan Reeves

“I hope people stop burning cars in the street, that’d be nice. … I hope that people can come together and I do agree with making America stand out so that’s what I hope to see. Things are starting to turn themselves in the right direction, the markets are looking better, people are making a little more money, people aren’t getting fired so if we could continue that trend that’d be great.” — Ryan Reeves

Related: Michelle Obama Wears Jason Wu for Her Final Appearance as First Lady

Related: ‘Everyone Is Clamoring To Dress Tiffany’ Trump, Says Designer

Related: Melania Trump Pays Homage to American Military Service Members With Ensemble

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