The National Museum in Prague is currently hosting an exhibition called First Ladies – Fashion and Style, showcasing a unique collection of fashion items that used to belong to the wives of Czech and Czechoslovak presidents. The exhibition presents 38 outfits from twelve first ladies, including dresses, suits, hats and other accessories worn on various occasions.
Curator Miroslava Burianová explains that the exhibition aims to show the role and style adopted by the country’s first ladies. It includes items from the wardrobe of Marta Gottwaldová, the wife of the first communist president Klement Gottwald, and Hana Benešová, widely considered one of the country’s most elegant first ladies.
The exhibition also includes some of Dagmar Havlová’s theatre costumes, as well as Livia Klausová’s trouser suit and Olga Havlová’s iconic sweater. Visitors can also see the inaugural dress of the current Czech first lady, Eva Pavlová, who is being hailed as a new fashion icon.
Miroslava Burianová also points out that while some of the presidential wives enjoyed their role and frequently appeared in public by their husbands’ side, other preferred to guard their privacy. The exhibition is divided into two parts, one dedicated to the first ladies’ official duties alongside the president, the other to the semi-private sphere.
The exhibition First Ladies – Fashion and Style runs at the new building of the National Museum until the end of next April.