Photo: Getty

Hillary Clinton, 1997

What She Wore: A gold cape over a gold long sleeve gown, both designed by Oscar de la Renta

What It Meant: Clinton, in terms of her style, is very divisive. Betts blames her inconsistency: “Hillary came to the White House without an understanding of her own style, in terms of what she wanted to wear and the message she wanted to send. She let other people define her style for her.” This was probably one of those occasions.

“That cape reminds me of the cape that Jackie wore, that’s probably where the idea came,” said Betts. But Jackie and Hillary were two entirely different people with two very different styles. Unfortunately, the result was that Hillary came off looking uncomfortable and not quite herself.

Dincuff agreed that Hillary’s second Inaugural look wasn’t one of her favorites, but added “the cape was a nice nod to tradition and Jackie Kennedy. It’s sophisticated and stately. And also ceremonial. A cape has a sense of ceremony, and the Inauguration is a huge ceremony for this country.”