Courtesy of Flickr
By Isabella LiPuma
On March 6, America bid goodbye to former First Lady and style icon Nancy Davis Reagan. Called “one of the last great grand dames” by television host Melissa Rivers, the late Reagan was both a tenacious aid to her beloved “Ronnie” and a famed fashion mogul. The Hollywood actress turned First Lady was remembered for her most pivotal role as First Lady to Ronald Reagan from 1981 to 1989 with elegance and admiration at her March 11 funeral in Simi Valley, California. 1,000 individuals paid their respects at Reagan’s carefully self-curated funeral including a diversity of actors and politicians alike, including four out of the five living first ladies, former president George W. Bush, Anjelica Huston, John Stamos, Wayne Newton and Ralph Lauren.
Nancy Reagan was a dichotomy of fierce political figure and vision of glamorous femininity as First Lady. Daughter Patti Davis commented on her mother’s tough exterior by laughing, “Even God might not have the guts to argue with Nancy Reagan.” Indeed, the late Reagan was a passionate advocator for drug reform with her “Just Say No” drug awareness campaign, and a powerful advocate for returning veterans and POWs from the Vietnam War. She was also a continual vision of Hollywood decadence who synthesized mod patterns, California Americana, and glitzy styles, and she gained notoriety for her iconic silhouettes and penchant for designer gems.
Before entering the political sphere, Nancy Davis was an average student who graduated from Smith College in 1943 with a double major in English and Drama. She was thus drawn and accepted into the Hollywood realm, where she acted alongside Ava Gardner in 1949’s East Side, West Side earning her the role of “communist sympathizer” in a Hollywood newspaper. It was at this quarter-life crisis conjecture that the actress sought out help in the President of the Screenwriters Guild, a Ronald Wilson Reagan. The two met for dinner on Sunset Boulevard to discuss the future-First-Lady’s problem and ended up marrying two years later.
The couple starred in Hellcats of the Navy in 1957 as a soldier and a nurse who fall in love. Reagan rocked the red carpet in rich silks and lamés, in princess dresses and slim silhouettes accessorized with jewels and fur stoles. She was a vision of quintessential Old Hollywood glamour, favoring “Reagan Red,” gold lamé, and rhinestone-encrusted lace.
As first lady, honorable American mother and wife, Reagan donned the classic California Americana style with soft colors, loafers and preppy silhouettes. The former First Lady preferred trendy sixties prints and Chanel-esque tweed suits when attempting business casual, but for formal events, returned to her red carpet roots with James Galanos gowns, rhinestones and puffy sleeves. Recently, she adopted fashion-forward yet mature silhouettes from designers like Michael Kors and Jason Wu.
The late Reagan was not without scruples and earned the unfavorable nickname “Queen Nancy” from critics. She had a chilling stare, known as “the glare,” could be cold and untrusting and was known for “borrowing” gowns from designers without returning them during her term as First Lady. Retribution for her fashion super PACS included an apology in her memoir, and a parody of “Second Hand Rose” called “Second Hand Clothes,” wherein Reagan dressed as a bag lady at the 1982 Gridiron dinner and sang onstage.
We remember the late Nancy Davis Reagan with great reverence and admiration. She was a model First Lady who defended her husband fearlessly, a moralistic advocate for issues surrounding drugs and veterans rights and a fashion maven whose fun-loving, chameleon style continually made waves in both political and cultural spheres.
