Capturing the Fun and Glam Style of Betty Ford in ‘The First Lady’ - Hollywood Reporter
As the proverbial woman behind the most powerful man on earth, the first lady plays an often undefined role as political ally, emissary, hostess and, in some cases, arbiter of style.
Showtime's new series The First Lady takes a look at three women who lived at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in the years spanning 1933 to 2020, starring Gillian Anderson as the longest-serving first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt; Michelle Pfeiffer as Betty Ford; and Viola Davis as Michelle Obama. Their private and personal journey is often depicted by their costumes, with the common denominator being their shared love of pearls.
Created by Danish costume designer Signe Sejlund (The Undoing, Bird Box), the fashion in the series has a supporting role, portraying not only the period but the character's point of view as well.
"This job was super terrifying because it's such an honor to actually get a chance to tell the story of these amazing women," says Sejlund. "[Along with director Susanne Bier], we wanted to do it right, but you have this foreigner designing costumes and telling the history at the same time. It was not a bad idea, as my eyes see this from another point of view. Things I see might be different from those of an American designer."
Armed with an abundance of research from the Smithsonian archives and newspaper and magazine photographs and articles, Sejlund tackled the massive scope of the project, from Roosevelt's dresses and coats in favored colors purple and burgundy to Obama's one-shouldered Jason Wu 2012 inauguration gown in white silk and chiffon with handmade organza flowers. (The designer made a copy of the dress for the First Lady production to use.)
"We cover 130 years from the time we meet Eleanor as a child of 8 and end in 2020 with Michelle Obama," says the costume designer.
To dress Pfeiffer as Ford, Sejlund looked first and foremost to the first lady's patronage of American designer Albert Capraro. An Oscar de La Renta protégé, Capraro created numerous glamorous '70s dresses for Ford during her short three-year tenure in the White House, with Ford sometimes ordering multiple versions of the same dress in different colors from the designer. According to WWD, Ford had reached out to Capraro after seeing a newspaper article about him "in which he talked about his use of only American fabrics."
A former Martha Graham dancer and department store model, Ford (who died in 2011 at age 93) favored glam looks, such as the white crepe gown with ostrich feathers around the neck and cuffs that she wore to the state dinner for Jordan's King Hussein in 1974. Designed by Frankie Welch, it put her on the fashion map.
"Betty was so sassy and sexy and had the most fun with her wardrobe, says Sejlund. "She had a teeny tiny body [similar to Pfeiffer] and loved styles with a Chinese collar and a range of color, very green, orange, yellow and blue — so '60s and '70s." Sejlund says Ford also loved gold bangles, earrings and lots of silk scarves, likewise made by Welch.
In later years, when she and husband Gerald retired to Palm Springs, her wardrobe changed. "She becomes more bohemian," says Sejlund, noting that she favored caftans and dresses with bold patterns.
This story first appeared in the April 27 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
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