INAUGURATION 2009: Pageantry and parties

Inaugural ball gowns: A brief history

Here’s a look at how several past first ladies managed their most important moments in ball gown history.

Dolley Madison, 1809

We’re not 100 percent sure what the first first lady to host an inaugural ball actually wore 200 years ago, but it probably had an empire waist and puffy sleeves, as did many evening dresses of the period. She and the prez partied late, and guests had such a blast that a tradition was born.

Mary Lincoln, 1861

Let’s hope Michelle Obama doesn’t take her style cues from this fellow Illinois transplant. Lincoln hoped her lavish clothing would quash Washington society’s doubts about her social graces, but the massive off-the-shoulder, floral-embroidered gown with three tiers of ruffles at the bodice, along with the flowers in her hair, only made it appear as if she were trying too hard.

Helen Taft, 1909

Helen Taft was the first first lady to present her inaugural gown to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. The white silk chiffon gown with a deep v-back featured floral embroidery with rhinestone and bead trim. It remains on display at the museum as part of the exhibition “First Ladies at the Smithsonian,” which showcases clothing and objects of first ladies past and present.

Jacqueline Kennedy, 1961

Leave it to Kennedy, still considered by many Americans to be our most stylish first lady, to wear an inaugural gown of her own design. The sleeveless ivory sheath in beaded silk chiffon with peau d’ange and a matching cape was made by Bergdorf Goodman.

Rosalynn Carter, 1977

Carter was an original recessionista. Her blue chiffon evening gown and coat trimmed with gold braid by Mary Matise for Jimmae was the same dress she wore six years earlier when her husband became governor of Georgia. Carter received much deserved criticism for wearing a repeat and taught Americans an important fashion lesson: Some outfits just don’t warrant a second look.

Nancy Reagan, 1981

Reagan took a beating for “borrowing” designer fashions, including her James Galanos inaugural gown (price tag: an estimated $10,000). Reagan gets extra style points for wearing the one-shoulder lace and silk satin beaded sheath and becoming the only first lady in the past three decades to bare a shoulder at the ball.

Laura Bush, 2001

Was the president’s wife making a statement as the (first) lady in red? Nancy Reagan was known for her penchant for the power color, but it was Laura Bush who wore a crystal-embroidered lace gown by Texan Michael Faircloth to her husband’s first inauguration.

Sources: News services, the Smithsonian Museum of American History

ON EXHIBIT: The Smithsonian museums in Washington are offering 10 inaugural-related exhibits, including one featuring inaugural ball gowns at the National Museum of American History.

Official balls

There will be 10 official balls on Inauguration Day, all to be attended by the president and first lady. They include the Obama Home States Inaugural Ball (Illinois and Hawaii); the Southern Inaugural Ball (a regional party for states including Georgia; it’s at the National Guard Armory); the Commander-in-Chief’s Ball (for members of the military); and the first-ever Youth Inaugural Ball (for Americans ages 18 to 35, and at $75, one of the cheapest tickets in town).

But “the premier event of inauguration evening,” organizers say, will be the Neighborhood Ball at the Washington Convention Center. Hosted by the Obamas and geared toward D.C. residents, it will feature a lineup of performers including Beyonce and husband Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Faith Hill, Alicia Keys, Shakira and Stevie Wonder.

It will be broadcast on ABC from 8 to 10 p.m. and feature the president and first lady’s first dance of the night.

Unofficial balls

The Obamas also could drop in on some of the four dozen or so unofficial parties and events, which offer a wide variety of celebrity-studded celebrations. They include:

> The Creative Coalition Ball: Celebrities expected by this lobbying group for the arts include Sting, Sam Moore, Elvis Costello, Susan Sarandon, Anne Hathaway, Spike Lee, Alfre Woodard, Dana Delany, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Marcia Cross, Tim Robbins, Seal, Adrian Grenier, Ashley Judd and Ron Howard. Tickets: $10,000 per couple.

> The Purple Ball (to end racism and honor U.S. troops): Lou Gossett Jr. will host; Ashley Judd, Patricia Arquette and Il Divo will be on hand.

> The Green Inaugural Ball: Former Vice President Al Gore is honorary chairman of this “carbon-neutral” event.

> Human Rights Campaign Equality Ball: Featuring Melissa Etheridge, Cyndi Lauper and “equalitinis.”

> Peace Ball: Harry Belafonte, Alice Walker, Eve Ensler and Dick Gregory, along with Joan Baez, Graham Nash and Jackson Browne.

> The Urban Ball: Hosted by Atlanta’s Ludacris, OutKast’s Big Boi, Monica and Cedric the Entertainer will entertain.

> American Music Inaugural Balls: One was not enough, apparently. Dionne Warwick hosts. Among the performers: Ludacris, George Clinton, Chaka Khan, Kirk Franklin, T-Pain, Fantasia, the Cheetah Girls and Peter, Paul and Mary.

> Be the Change Inaugural Ball: Hosted and televised by MTV at the Ronald Reagan Building. It pledges “several leading artists, celebrities and government officials” will be on hand.

> BET Inaugural Ball: Hosted and televised by the cable network and America’s Promise Alliance, a nonprofit headed by former Secretary of State Colin Powell and his wife, Alma. Wyclef Jean will perform; possible guests include Atlanta’s Tyler Perry, Mary J. Blige, Magic Johnson, Judith Jamison, Gabrielle Union and B. Smith, who were scheduled to receive BET Honors awards Saturday .

> Hip-Hop Inaugural Ball: Russell Simmons, LL Cool J, Young Jeezy and T.I. (plus a “surprise” performer) get ahead of the festivities with a party Monday night.

> Heroes Red White & Blue Inaugural Ball: Rapper Nas, rock guitarist Slash, gospel star Donnie McClurkin and singer-songwriter Josh Groban are among the headliners at this event, geared toward wounded service members.

> Bytes and Books Inaugural Ball: The National Coalition for Technology in Education and Training’s party promises to be wonk central.

> The People’s Inaugural: Virginia businessman Earl W. Stafford’s foundation is planning a million-dollar effort aimed at including disadvantaged Americans in the inauguration. He says he is willing to provide gowns, tuxedos and the services of beauticians so they can have an unforgettable experience.

History

Firsts: On May 7, 1789, one week after the inauguration of George Washington in New York City, sponsors held a ball to honor the new president. In 1809, the tradition of the inaugural ball began after the inauguration of James Madison. First lady Dolley Madison hosted the gala; tickets were $4 each.

Worst: For Ulysses S. Grant’s second inaugural in 1873, a temporary building was constructed. Freezing weather and no heat meant guests danced in overcoats and hats, the food was cold, the coffee and hot chocolate ran out, and even the decorative caged canaries froze.

Canceled: 1853: President Franklin Pierce, mourning the loss of his son, asks that the ball be canceled. 1913: Woodrow Wilson, citing the expense, cancels the ball. 1921: Warren G. Harding cancels the public celebration; a private charitable party took its place. Charity balls were the fashion for Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Revived: President Harry Truman revived the official ball in 1949. Organizers for Dwight D. Eisenhower’s 1953 inaugural ball added a second event due to the great demand for tickets. Four years later, Eisenhower’s second inauguration featured four balls. Kennedy attended five in 1961. Jimmy Carter cut back in 1977, charging no more than $25 a ticket, but by the second inaugural of President William Jefferson Clinton in 1997, the number of official balls reached an all-time high of 14. George W. Bush’s inaugurals featured eight official balls (2001) and then nine (2005).

Sources: News services, Presidential Inaugural Committee, Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies

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12,000: Eggs that chefs at the Willard InterContinental Hotel will use for meals from Jan. 17 through the inauguration.

—- Michael Gray and Sharon Gaus contributed to this report.