The Metropolitan Museum’s annual Costume Institute exhibition preview was opened on Monday by US first lady Dr Jill Biden.
This year’s event carries the title: In America: An Anthology of Fashion.
"No matter the words we choose or the speeches we give, the world sees the totality of who we are,” said Dr Biden.
"The way we carry ourselves, how we put our shoulders back when times are hard, or offer a friendly smile even when we don't agree.
"How we choose to show up for our communities — the small acts of kindness that are remembered long after they are offered.
"And that includes what we wear."
Dr Biden used her speech to advocate for the political power of fashion. It comes before her humanitarian tour to Romania and Slovakia in support of Ukrainian refugees displaced by the Russian invasion.
The invasion began on February 24, days before US President Joe Biden's State of the Union Address.
“A few months ago, as the president was preparing for the State of the Union address, my mind was a world away," Dr Biden said.
"Like so many Americans, I was transfixed on the news of Ukraine, the bombings and the parents weeping over children’s broken bodies on the streets."
Dr Biden arrived with fashion legend and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. She told the crowd that as the speech approached, she knew that there would be little said about her except for what she wore.
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A Ukrainian refugee waits to be given shelter in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. AFP -
Campaigner Rend Platings, right, embraces her Ukrainian best friend Kristina Korniiuk as they are reunited outside her home in Cambridge. Ms Platings went on hunger strike until MsKorniiuk's UK visa was approved and painted her house in the colours of the Ukrainian flag. PA -
Ukrainian women attend a job-seekers' meeting aboard the 'Mediterranee' ferry, where they are living while it remains docked in Marseille, southern France. AFP -
Refugee schoolchildren are given Ukrainian primary school education in Berlin, where they also have the choice of attending German schools. Getty -
Teacher Katja with Artem, Sofia and Alexander, refugee schoolchildren who are receiving Ukrainian curriculum primary school education in Berlin, Germany. Getty -
Ukrainian refugee Alikhan Yusupov, 10, on his first day at Caldecote Primary School after his family fled their home in Kharkiv and moved to Cambridgeshire, England. PA -
Roman Starkov plays with nephew Alikhan as they settle into their new home in Caldecote, near Cambridge, after they fled Kharkiv. PA -
Ukrainian refugee Egor Svichkar, 3, whose family now live with a British host. PA -
Ukrainian refugees Yaroslav Kryvoshyia and Irina Kryvoviaz, with her son Sasha as they settle into their new home in North Moreton, Oxfordshire. PA -
An Ukrainian refugee woman sews in Strasbourg, France, part of project for Ukrainian refugees to find jobs after fleeing the war. AFP -
Ukranian refugee Karolina, 16, laughs as she prepares for a party at the La Ville-aux-Dames camp site, her family's temporary home in La Ville-aux-Dames, central France. AFP -
Ukrainians queue outside a refugee centre in Paris. AFP -
Myroslava Perevalska (R), an artist who fled Kyiv, helps a Ukrainian girl paint Easter eggs in Berlin. Getty Images -
The 'Beacon of Ukraine', a gathering at Markthalle Neun in Berlin, bringing together refugees and NGOs as well as showcasing Ukrainian culture. Getty Images -
Larysa Biachenko, 40, who does not know if her house in Chernihiv is still standing, and Svitlana Lykhonos, 43, who was the owner of a hotel restaurant in Frankiusk, peel onions at a special cooking course run by the regional government to offer them a job opportunity, in Alicante, Spain. Reuters -
A convoy of Ukrainian refugees who left Mariupol, accompanied by 17 volunteers, arrive at Juan Carlos I park in Madrid. EPA -
Ukrainian refugees, who arrived in Italy from Lviv after two weeks of travel, are tended to in the reception centre of the Red Cross in Settimo Torinese, near Turin. EPA
“So I ordered sunflower appliques — the flower of Ukraine — as a symbol of hope and solidarity, and had it sewn on the cuff of my dress," Dr Biden said.
"It was small but shined against the deep cobalt blue of my sleeve. That night, sitting next to the Ukrainian ambassador, I knew that I was sending a message without saying a word.”
Wintour then gave her a private tour of the exhibition, which aims to champion well-known and rising designers, and those who made important contributions to US fashion, especially female and black designers.
Dr Biden then flew back to Washington where she helped to host a White House reception for Eid Al Fitr, wearing the same dress.
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Emily Ratajkowski wears red Vera Wang to the 2021 Met Gala. AFP -
Timothee Chalamet in white Rick Owens and Haider Ackermann at the 2021 Met Gala. EPA -
Tracee Ellis Ross wears blue Balenciaga to the 2021 Met Gala. EPA -
Megan Fox wears red Dundas to attend the 2021 Met Gala. AP -
Emily Blunt in a white Miu Miu gown at the 2021 Met Gala. AFP -
Michaela Coel wears blue Balenciaga to attend the 2021 Met Gala. AFP -
Addison Rae wears red Gucci to attend the 2021 Met Gala. EPA -
Chloe Bailey in white Rodarte at the 2021 Met Gala. AP -
Amanda Gorman wears blue Vera Wang to attend the 2021 Met Gala. EPA -
Jennifer Hudson wears red AZ Factory at the 2021 Met Gala. EPA -
Gigi Hadid in white Prada at the 2021 Met Gala. AP -
Nia Dennis wears blue Stella McCartney x Adidas to attend the 2021 Met Gala. AP -
Venus Williams wears red to the 2021 Met Gala. EPA -
Joan Smalls in white Ralph Lauren at the 2021 Met Gala. EPA -
Lupita Nyong'o wears blue Versace to the 2021 Met Gala. AP -
Isabelle Huppert wears red Balenciaga to attend the 2021 Met Gala. EPA -
Nyjah Huston in white at the 2021 Met Gala. AFP -
Dan Levy wears blue Loewe to attend the 2021 Met Gala. AFP -
Finneas wears red Givenchy to the 2021 Met Gala. AP -
Alicia Keys in a white AZ Factory creation at the 2021 Met Gala. Reuters -
CL wears blue Alexander Wang to attend the 2021 Met Gala. AFP -
Ella Emhoff wears red Stella McCartney to the 2021 Met Gala. AFP -
Cynthia Erivo in white Moschino at the 2021 Met Gala. AP -
Jasmine Tooks wears blue at the 2021 Met Gala. AFP -
Megan Rapinoe in a red Sergio Hudson at the 2021 Met Gala. AP -
Lily Aldridge wears white Ralph Lauren to the 2021 Met Gala. AP -
Ben Platt in a blue Christian Cowan outfit at the 2021 Met Gala. AFP -
Eiza Gonzalez wears red Atelier Versace to the 2021 Met Gala. EPA -
Claire Danes wears white Prabal Gurung to the 2021 Met Gala. AFP -
Debbie Harry in a red, white and blue Zac Posen creation at the 2021 Met Gala. AFP
