Amidst all the debate about the Israel-Hamas war, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Trump administration’s tariffs, the question of what one wears to the White House has become a fiery issue.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky unintentionally sparked the controversy by showing up in his standard military-style clothes for a Feb. 28 meeting with President Donald Trump in the White House. After being greeted by the president with “You’re all dressed up today,” Zelensky was later chided by Vice President JD Vance for not wearing a suit, in what was a televised exchange. The Ukrainian leader, who wore an ensemble from the Ukrainian designer Elvira Gasanova, told them he will wear a suit once the war ends. He has not worn a shirt and tie since Russian military forces rolled into Ukraine three years ago as a sign of solidarity to Ukrainian soldiers.
President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky meet in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 28.
AFP via Getty Images
Zelensky was also grilled by Brian Glenn, the chief White House correspondent for Real America’s Voice, about not wearing a suit. The issue of what qualifies as appropriate White House attire was still being debated Wednesday afternoon. Fox News’ Peter Doocy challenged White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt by asking, “What is the White House dress code?”
A media request inquiring about the White House dress code was not acknowledged Thursday by a White House spokesperson. And media inquiries to the White House Historical Association were ackowledged by a spokesperson, who did not follow through.
In the White House press room on Wednesday, Doocy also noted how the Department of Government Efficiency’s head Elon Musk “never wears a suit.” Leavitt responded that Musk had worn one and “looked great” at Trump’s address before a joint session of Congress Tuesday night.
Perhaps grasping the power of optics, Musk had been seated beside Heather Valentino, a licensed aesthetician and hydrafacial specialist, who also wore a navy suit. Media requests to her employer Beautox Aesthetics were not acknowledged Thursday.
Zelensky’s more relaxed look was not a complete anomaly for an international leader visiting 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. In 2017, Greece’s then prime minister Alexis Tsipras opted not to wear a tie with his navy suit, having refused to sport one until Greece was given debt relief. And in 2000, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat wore a military-style outfit to meet with Bill Clinton in the Oval Office. While far from heads of state, some members of Northwestern University’s 2005 women’s lacrosse team turned up for a visit with then President George Bush at the White House wearing flip-flops. That fashion choice was scrutinized by the media and armchair critics alike.
In 2000, the-then Palestinian chairman Yasser Arafat met with Bill Clinton in the Oval Office.
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The fashion-related controversy is not a first for Trump. In 2017, after news of Trump’s dress code guidelines advised that men should suit up in professional attire and women should “dress like a woman,” a social media backlash kicked off. The hashtag #DressLikeAWoman took off on what was then the social media platform Twitter and women posted photographs of themselves in pants, as opposed to skirts and dresses.
Summer Anna Lee, author of the upcoming book “Presidential Fashion: An Illustrated History,” said Thursday, “The White House is a workplace — albeit a highly secure one — and, like many workplaces in the United States, it has operated under both spoken and unspoken dress codes.”
While the Secret Service adheres to strict guidelines, the White House staff’s style has often depended on the sitting president’s preferences, according to Lee. “It has been said that President Clinton did not enforce a formal dress code, fostering a more casual environment. Under President George W. Bush, White House staff were required to adhere to a strict dress code: men had to wear suits and ties, while women were expected to dress in equivalent business attire, a policy that was enforced by his chief of staff Andrew Card.”
A sign posted at the northwest entrance gate to the White House in July 2007 dictates the proper dress code for visitors, and indicated that people who were dressed in improper attire would be turned away. Those items included jeans, sneakers, shorts, miniskirts, T-shirts, tank tops and flip-flops.
AFP via Getty Images
Although the former president is known to favor jeans and drive a pick-up truck on his Texas ranch, he banned staffers, members of the media and visitors from wearing them. During his second term, the no-jeans rule was reportedly highlighted in signs that were posted near White House entrances for staff, media and visitors. Sneakers, shorts, miniskirts, T-shirts and tank tops were on the list, too, as well as “No flip-flops.”
Many tourists tend to dress casually for White House visits. Here, a group outside in 2021.
AFP via Getty Images
President Barack Obama adopted a more modern and “slightly more relaxed approach to workplace attire,” which some people at the time attributed to his upbringing in Hawaii, Lee said. Obama was often seen not wearing a suit jacket in the Oval Office, a sight that reportedly shocked some members of the previous administration, she said. Obama staffers were allowed to wear business casual clothing on weekends. Lee, a Fashion Institute of Technology professor, noted that the dress code “swung back in the other direction” when Trump first took office in 2017.
Lee added, “A lot of this comes down to an individual’s perception of what clothing is appropriate for business attire and what is respectable enough for the White House. There can be different opinions. For instance, when President Obama infamously wore a tan suit to a press conference in 2014, critics felt that the light color was not formal enough.”
Last summer, Obama marked the 10-year anniversary of that look with side-by-side shots of him and Kamala Harris wearing a tan suit with, “How it started. How it’s going. Ten years later, and it’s still a good look!”
Gasanova said Thursday that Zelensky’s White House outfit “challenges long-standing norms, by emphasizing resilience, modern leadership and a break from rigid formality. This choice underscores that clothing can carry not only personal identity, but also political messaging, particularly in times of global tension. As fashion becomes increasingly intertwined with cultural narratives, the White House dress code is no longer just about appearance — it’s about what the appearance represents.”
The New School’s Master of Arts director of fashion studies Hazel Clark said Zelensky was “othered” for his attire, as a way of “othering” his views and political positions. In doing so, the U.S. leadership implied superiority, she said. “By reinforcing the suit as a symbol of superior, white masculinity and patriarchy, they were picking on the nonconformist, who looked a whole lot more comfortable in his body [language] and his attire.”
The Zelensky controversy has spiked sales for Gasanova, who has seen site traffic double and sales increase “exponentially” for his Damirli polo shirt in recent days. “The heightened demand reinforces the idea that fashion can carry powerful messages, especially when worn in such a historic context,” she said.
As for what tourists should wear to the White House, USA Guided Tours states on its site, “There is no dress code to tour the White House, but due to the importance of the building, we recommend you dress neatly.”
