Below, see 17 photos of gorgeous inaugural ball gowns from 12 first ladies, beginning with Helen Taft, the first to donate her dress to the Smithsonian.

After her own wedding, Gwendolyn Stulgis launched Shared Dreams for Dresses with the hopes of donating her gown to someone who couldn't afford one Erin Clack is a Staff Editor for PEOPLE.

I choose to,” Pierre said at the time. Melania's 2017 inaugural ball gown was donated to the Smithsonian's First Ladies Collection, which has gathered more than two dozen first lady dresses from ...

Mrs Joubert said her first experience taking ... said she had gone through more than 250 donated wedding dresses since starting the charity. “That’s 250 ladies who have done something so ...

In 2005, Laura Bush wore a silver gown outlined with Austrian crystals by Oscar de la Renta. First lady Michelle Obama kept her dress choice a secret from both the press and the gown's designer ...