Dr Jill Biden earns praise for wearing just one new outfit at the Olympics

The First Lady wore four outfits that she has been photographed in before

Jill Biden arrives at the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The US first lady has showcased her ability to reimagine existing items in her wardrobe - rather than buying new - during a short trip to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, currently taking place in Japan.

Ahead of the opening ceremony on Friday 23 July, Dr Jill Biden attended several games to cheer on team USA, each time wearing pieces of clothing that she has been photographed in before.

Over the course of the weekend, she donned just one new ensemble; the official Ralph Lauren Team USA outfit which she wore to the swimming and basketball games on Saturday.

As she touched down in Tokyo, Dr Biden was photographed in a red caped Narcisco Rodriguez dress which she wore in June when visiting a Florida vaccination centre with Dr Anthony Fauci.

Jill Biden arrives in Tokyo (JAPAN POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Then, arriving at the opening ceremony at the Japan National Stadium, she was dressed in the same white and black polka-dotted Brandon Maxwell dress that she sported under her famous “Love” slogan jacket to meet Boris Johnson at the G7 Summit in the UK last month.

The dress was paired with a string of pearls, black Paul Andrew pumps and a matching Larroude clutch bag. The crocodile-effect bag appeared to be the same one she carried at a meeting with the Queen, which also took place in the UK.

Her only new outfit, the Ralph Lauren blazer, with matching T-shirt and white trousers, earned her cheers from team USA, who were filmed chanting “Dr Jill Biden” as she took her place in the stands.

After leaving Japan, the first lady visited a vaccination centre in Hawaii. As she departed the plane after touching down on the island, she was seen in a lilac dress which appeared to be the same one she wore on a visit to a vaccination centre in Harlem, New York in June.

The New York Times said: “[She] embodied the theme of the Olympics, which was billed as the greenest Games yet with the motto ‘Be better, together — For the planet and the people’.”

The first lady’s affinity to recycle her wardrobe is not new. At the first presidential debate in September 2020, Jill wore a bottle green silk dress, designed by New York-based designer, Gabriela Hearst.

The long-sleeved dress featured tasselled detailing and was made entirely of recycled materials. The designer, who aims to create “sustainable luxury”, praised the first lady for her outfit, noting that she had worn it before.

She also wore the dress at the fifth Annual Save The Children Illumination Gala in 2017 in New York.

“What a surprise and honor to see that at last night’s debate Dr Jill Biden repurposed a GH dress she wore three years ago,” Hearst wrote on Instagram.