News Politics & Social Issues Jill Biden's Inauguration Day Coat Signals a New Beginning She's kicking off her First Lady style with meaning. By Alyssa Hardy Alyssa Hardy Instagram Twitter Alyssa Hardy is a fashion and culture writer living in New York City. She was formerly the Fashion News Editor at Teen Vogue and the Senior News Editor at InStyle. She recently launched a newsletter titled "This Stuff," which publishes twice weekly. In each edition, readers find timely commentary on news stories and current events in fashion, along with personal essays and musings on trends and celebrity style, featuring personal anecdotes from Alyssa's life as a fashion insider.Alyssa is a staunch advocate for garment workers' rights, and has a deep passion for educating others about fashion's environmental impact — tones that can be felt throughout 'This Stuff.' Her work has been featured in InStyle, Vogue, NYLON, Refinery29, TeenVogue, Ladygunn, Fashionista, and Allure. She is currently working on her debut book, a non-fiction exploration of ethics in fashion titled 'Worn Out.' InStyle's editorial guidelines Published on January 20, 2021 @ 09:15AM Pin Share Tweet Email Despite the turmoil of the last month — an attempted coup, and subsequent second impeachment for Donald Trump — we made it to Inauguration Day. Joe Biden will be sworn in as the President of the United States at 12 p.m. and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, will assume the role of the First Lady. Dr. Biden ushered in a new era in the White House wearing a tweed ocean blue jacket and matching mask by N.Y.C. based up-and-coming designer Alexandra O'Neill of Markarian. In a press release, O'Neill explained that underneath the jacket, she is wearing a "tapered dress with a chiffon bodice and scalloped skirt." She added that the dress is hand-embellished with Swarovski pearls and crystals in a floral pattern. The color blue was chosen to "trust, confidence, and stability." Getty Images In a similar way that Michelle Obama did with Jason Wu and others during her time as the first lady, Dr. Biden's Inauguration outfit may signal her intention to use her style to highlight American designers who are still breaking through in fashion. O'Neill launched her brand Markarian in New York City in 2017. She's known for her playful dresses and tops, which often include sequins and feathery details. She told Who What Wear in 2018, "I've always been drawn to all things celestial, so I launched Markarian combining all those interests." Everything You Need to Know About Jill Biden, the Future First Lady of the United States Dr. Biden's purposeful choice is attire comes as no surprise to those who have been paying attention. Since the beginning of the campaign, Dr. Biden has made some very strategic sartorial choices, including a pair of Stuart Weitzman "VOTE" boots that she wore to, well, vote. The first lady has said that she plans to keep her job as a teacher during her time in the White House. If this is still the case, it would make her the first-ever FLOTUS to do so.