The First Ladies of State Dinners

First lady Michelle Obama stunned in an architectural red gown at Wednesday night's state dinner for Chinese President Hu Jintao. Despite rumors that her dress would be designed by Vera Wang, who was among the attendees for the evening, Obama opted for a petal silk organza gown by Alexander McQueen, specifically the late designer's successor, Sarah Burton.

Saul Loeb / AFP / Getty Images

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Michelle Obama wore a one-shouldered Peter Soronen look to last year's state dinner honoring Mexican President Felipe Calderón and his wife Margarita Zavala. While Zavala's dress was adorned with an Aztec print, Obama's metallic gown featured gossamer folds and a silver belt, which won over style critics. "It's a clever, memorable, sophisticated choice," Avril Graham, Harper's Bazaar's executive fashion editor, said at the time.

Charles Dharapak / AP Photo

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At the state dinner for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur in 2009, Obama wore a shimmering gold strapless dress by Indian-American designer Naeem Khan. She paired the look with a gold wrap and a wrist full of bangle bracelets, a nod to traditional Indian garb. "Why it was so important, apart from it being our first lady, was the coming together of India and America, which is me," Khan told The Wall Street Journal. "When I was designing Mrs. Obama's dress, half of me was saying, ‘What would Halston do?' The other half was saying, ‘Be who you are.' Halston, me, America, India—it's been such a great combination. This is what makes me who I am, with the clean lines I learned from Halston and complicated Indian over-the-top Bollywood traditions. There's a lot of confusion in India with design and color, and I have just taken it, simplified it, cleaned it—and this is what I get."

Susan Walsh / AP Photo

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Former President George W. Bush and his first lady Laura pulled out all the stops for Polish President Aleksander Kwaśniewski and his wife Jolanta in July 2002. While the Polish first lady wore a black mesh and velvet dress with a matching choker, Bush opted for a more conservative blush-colored Oscar de la Renta two-piece gown, fastened by a bright blue bow. To acknowledge the merging of the two cultures, the White House served Texas-inspired Kobe beef with barbecue sauce on tables covered in cream-colored linens with red china to honor Poland.

Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP Photo

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For the state dinner honoring British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife Cherie, then-President Bill Clinton and now-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton served honey-mango glazed chicken and grilled salmon fillet, but offered their guests something British for dessert: strawberries and cream and, for laughs, chocolate Big Ben cookies. On the fashion front, Clinton and Blair both opted for embroidered gold dresses. "It is clear that the Clintons and the Blairs (two centrist leaders married to lawyers, each of whom wore long Champagne-beige evening dress) not only have a lot in common but actually like each other," wrote The New York Times' Marian Burros at the time.

Luke Frazza, AFP / Getty Images

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It was a big diplomatic moment when Chinese President Jiang Zemin arrived in the United States for his official visit in 1997. But it was also a big moment for his famously private wife Madame Wang Yeping. She toured Colonial Williamsburg in a bonnet and attended a performance by a children's music group at the Levin School of Music before the state dinner, where she wore a plain black suit, wide-shouldered jacket, and a string of pearls. Clinton, meanwhile, opted for a metallic A-line dress with a jeweled collar. Despite their difference in wardrobe choices, it was clear that the first ladies got along—Wang took Clinton's arm during a walk through the White House.

Greg Gibson / AP Photo

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Former President and then-first lady Clinton welcomed Russian President Boris Yeltsin and his wife Naina to the White House on Sept. 27, 1994. They served a "healthy" menu of ginger marinated salmon and adorned the table with red flatware settings in honor of Russia. Clinton also wore an eye-catching red chiffon dress designed by Victoria Royal, while Yeltsin opted for a metallic green knit gown by a Moscow designer.

Marcy Nighswander / AP Photo

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To entertain Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at the White House in 1991, former first lady Barbara Bush donned a pink skirt with lace jacket and a double strand of pearls. The queen wore a white silk and lace jeweled gown for the occasion that she topped off with, of course, her crown.

Tim Graham / Getty Images

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When former President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy hosted Japan's Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone and his wife for a state dinner at the White House in 1987, the first lady wore an off-the-shoulder red gown fastened with a bow at the waist, which emulated the silhouette of her counterpart's traditional Japanese kimono.

Diana Walker, Time & Life Pictures / Getty Images

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For her third official visit to the United States, President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy welcomed Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip for a state dinner. The monarch wore white gloves and a ruffled cream gown while Reagan shined in an elegant emerald frock.

Tim Graham / Getty Images

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Former leader of the Communist Party of China Deng Xiaoping posed with his wife Zhuo Lin and former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn during his official visit to the White House for the state dinner in 1979. While Zhou Lin went with a two-piece ensemble of a metallic jacket and simple black pants, Carter wore a head-to-toe ocean blue dress.

Arthur Grace, Zuma Press / Newscom

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Two years prior, when then-President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn welcomed former British Prime Minister James Callaghan and his wife Audrey into the White House in 1977, Carter wore a two-toned dress with a satin belt and matching trim while Callaghan opted for a flowing floral gown.

Jeff Taylor / AP Photo

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Former President Gerald Ford and first lady Betty Ford also welcomed Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip to the White House for a state dinner as part of the celebration of the bicentennial of the American Revolution in 1976. The women both opted for color for the occasion—the queen wore a canary yellow beaded gown with her blue sash and Ford donned a mint green dress with a crocheted neckline.

AP Photo

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One of the most fashionable first ladies, Jacqueline Kennedy hosted many a stylish state dinner. She and former President John F. Kennedy honored the then-president of Pakistan, Mohammed Ayeb Khan, and his daughter, Begum Nasir Akhtar Aurangzeb in 1961. Though both women wore white for the occasion, Kennedy cinched her gown with a thick jade ribbon at the waist.

Kennedy Library Archives, Newsmakers / Getty Images

The First Ladies of State Dinners

Michelle Obama didn't choose a Chinese designer for the White House state dinner with President Hu Jintao, but her Alexander McQueen gown paid direct homage to China with its red color. Above all, The Daily Beast's Robin Givhan says, the first lady's fashion message struck a blow for creativity.