“I knew the only thing that would be reported about me was what I was wearing. So, I ordered sunflower appliqués. I knew I was sending a message without saying a word: that Ukraine was in our hearts”
First Lady of the United States Jill Biden delivered a speech at The Costume Institute’s 2022 Spring Exhibition. She wore a black dress with blue and yellow flowers and said that fashion can “send a message without saying a word”.
During her speech, she mentioned preparation for the State of the Union Address, which was held in early March 2022. “As the State of the Union approached, I knew the only thing that would be reported about me was what I was wearing. So, I ordered sunflower appliqués — the flower of Ukraine and a symbol of hope and solidarity — and had one sewn on the cuff of my dress. It was small — but it shined against the deep cobalt-blue of my sleeve. And that night, sitting next to the Ukrainian ambassador, I knew I was sending a message without saying a word: that Ukraine was in our hearts — and that we stood with them,” she said.
Jill Biden also announced her visit to Romania and Slovakia to meet Ukrainian refugees and American troops. “I know that we might not share a language, but I hope that I can convey — in ways so much greater than words — that their resilience inspires me, that they are not forgotten, and that all Americans stand with them still,” she said.
“I knew the only thing that would be reported about me was what I was wearing. So, I ordered sunflower appliqués. I knew I was sending a message without saying a word: that Ukraine was in our hearts”
