Hillary Clinton stitched the names of women she admires into her Met gala gown—here's who she chose

Hillary Clinton's dress at the Met Gala was designed by Joseph Altuzarra and featured the names of 60 famous women in American history

Hillary Clinton
(Image credit: Sean Zanni / Contributor)

Hillary Clinton's sartorial choice at last night's Met Gala was more than meets the eye.

According to Vogue, the 74-year-old former secretary of state attended the Met Gala 2022 donning a gown by French clothing designer Joseph Altuzarra that featured a remarkable—yet secret!—detail. 

Specifically, Vogue reports that the names of 60 famous women in American history who inspire Hillary were embroidered across the fold-over neckline and the hem of the custom design. How cool?

"When someone like Hillary goes to The Met, it's not just, like, 'There's Hillary at The Met and she's wearing a dress.' It has a lot of significance," Joseph said to Vogue."I felt like I had to be very thoughtful about what the dress would mean to the theme and to the occasion."


Inspired by an old friendship quilt that he saw at an art fair, the designer tried to stay true to the event's theme, which was Gilded Glamour, while still creating a unique piece of clothing. 

"It really tells the story of all American women, and also pays homage to homemakers, and quilters, and seamstresses, which I think is very much part of American fashion," he said. 

Hillary Clinton

(Image credit: Theo Wargo / Staff)

Some of the names featured inside the dress include Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Clara Barton, Lady Bird Johnson, and Hillary's own mother, Dorothy Rodham.

"A lot of these names are going to be well known to be people, but some of them are women who inspired me that maybe others don't know that much about," Hillary said to Vogue.

Believe it or not, it has been 21 years since Hillary last attended the event in May of 2001, when she first started her term as New York senator. Back then, she wore a leopard-print dress with a brown shawl to follow the year's theme, which was Jackeline Kennedy: The White House Years.

Not only was Hillary’s dress filled with meaning, but it was actually beautiful. The burgundy gown featured an off-the-shoulder pair of long sleeves that highlighted the politician’s class and fashion taste while still abiding by a theme that—let’s be honest!—a whole lot of celebrities simply looked past.

Anna Rahmanan

Anna Rahmanan is a New York-based writer and editor who covers culture, entertainment, food, fashion and travel news. Anna’s words have appeared on Time Out New York, the Huffington Post, Fortune, Forbes, Us Weekly, Bon Appetit and Brooklyn Magazine, among other outlets.