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March 6, 2016

A Look Back at the Best Style of Nancy Reagan

By Kat Ward

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Photo: Diana Walker/Getty Images

Former First Lady Nancy Reagan has died at age 94, reportedly from congestive heart failure. Married to President Ronald Reagan, she was the conservative ideal of a supportive, devoted wife, a political force in her own right, and a fashion icon famous for wearing American designers, not to mention her signature Reagan red.

During her years as First Lady, Reagan was regularly voted one of the most-admired women in the country. She was known for her simple and elegant style, wearing designers like James Galanos and Carolina Herrera, and “never making a single faux pas,” according to Oscar de la Renta.

That’s confirmed by James Galanos, one of her favorite designers. “She never went to the extreme,” he told W in 2007. “Nancy’s daytime clothes were very clean and classic, what I call very good American style, the shirtwaist dresses and wonderful Adolfo suits. These clothes were perfect for her lifestyle, and she knew exactly what she was doing.” 

In a 2007 exhibit at the Reagan Library, 80 of her outfits were put on display, all a uniform size 2. Reagan maintained a tiny figure throughout her life, and was rumored to have battled anorexia.

Reagan was a great believer in the value of entertaining at the White House, pursuing and maintaining friendships with powerful Democrats and foreign leaders alike. Critics didn’t always take as well to the First Lady, branding her as extravagant. A $200,000 order of new china for the White House shortly after the Reagans were installed earned her a lot of scorn, as did her acceptance of expensive gowns as gifts. Reagan poked fun at her clotheshorse reputation in a 1982 roast, where she sang a parody of “Second Hand Rose” titled “Second Hand Clothes.”

“It’s important that a First Lady be fashionable and glamorous, because she represents the country and its style,” said Carolina Herrera. Reagan’s support for American designers and American fashion earned her a lifetime achievement award from the CFDA in 1988. See photos of the First Lady’s style throughout the years.

Sources

New York Times
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1 / 34 Photos
In 1946. Photo: ullstein bild/Getty Images
In 1950. Photo: Corbis
At the premiere of The King and I in LA in 1956. Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
In 1967. Photo: John Bulmer/Getty Images
At the Sweet Charity premiere in LA in 1969. Photo: Ron Galella/WireImage
In London in 1972. Photo: Central Press/Getty Images
In 1973. Photo: New York Daily News/Getty Images
In 1979. Photo: Joan Adlen /Getty Images
In 1980. Photo: Images Press/Getty Images
With the Carters at the White House in 1980. Photo: Francois Lochon/Gamma/Getty Images
With Ron Reagan Jr. at Lincoln Center in 1981. Photo: Sonia Moskowitz/Images/Getty Images
At the 1981 presidential inauguration. Photo: ABC/Getty Images
Her famous inauguration ball gown, by James Galanos, in 1981. Photo: Corbis
With Spanish King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, at the White House in 1981. Photo: Gianni Ferrari/Getty Images
At 'California Salutes the President' in 1981. Photo: Ron Galella/WireImage
With Prince Charles in New York in 1981. Photo: Robin Platzer/Images/Getty Images
With the Sadats at the White House in 1981. Photo: Wally McNamee/Corbis
In 1981. Photo: AFP Photo/Getty Images
The premiere of Annie in New York in 1982. Photo: Ron Galella/WireImage
With Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at the White House in 1983. Photo: Tim Graham/Getty Images
At the White House in 1984. Photo: Corbis
With Michael Jackson at the White House in 1984. Photo: Diana Walker/Getty Images
With Princess Diana at the White House, in 1985. Photo: Tim Graham/Getty Images
With Raisa Gorbachev at the White House in 1987. Photo: AFP Photo/Getty Images
With Japan's Prime Minister at the White House in 1987. Photo: Diana Walker/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images
At game one of the 1988 World Series in Los Angeles. Photo: Focus On Sport/Getty Images
In 1988. Photo: Diana Walker/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
On the Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1989. Photo: NBC Universal/Getty Images
At the Carousel of Hope Ball Benefit in Beverly Hills in 1990. Photo: Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage
At the Spirit of America Awards in 1990. Photo: Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage
With Raisa Gorbachev at Forbes' 75th Anniversary in 1992. Photo: Jim Smeal/WireImage
At the American Television Awards in Santa Monica in 1993. Photo: Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage
In 1995. Photo: Mitchell Gerber/Corbis
With James Galanos and Diane Von Furstenberg in 2007. Photo: Lester Cohen/WireImage
1 / 34

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