On Thursday, July 7, US women's national soccer player, World Cup champion, and Olympic gold medalist Megan Rapinoe [1] was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom [2] by President Joe Biden [3] at the White House. Rapinoe was among 16 other recipients, including Simone Biles [4], and was recognized for her advocacy on behalf of her fellow LGBTQ+ Americans [5] as well as for her successful fight for equal pay.
The 37-year-old leader worked with celebrity stylist Karla Welch [6] to source a special pantsuit for the occasion, courtesy of the luxury workwear brand Bode New York [7]. Fittingly, Creative Director Emily Adams Bode Aujla [8] was the first woman designer to show at New York Fashion Week: Men's. Rapinoe and Welch collaborated with the Bode team on incorporating delicate hand embroideries to honor causes and organizations that Rapinoe supports. The suit also featured a tribute to professional basketball player Brittney Griner — her initials were stitched alongside a flower on the right lapel of the ivory satin jacket. Griner is currently detained in Russia [9] pending her criminal trial for carrying vape cartridges with cannabis oil while traveling in the country. Rapinoe spotlighted the honorary monogram on her Instagram Stories, sharing a close-up of the hand-sewn detail with the text, "the most important part of today 💐 BG We Love You."
Rapinoe finished her all-white outfit — likely a color nod to the women's suffrage movement — with a diamond choker necklace, a pendant earring, a timepiece, gold chainlink bracelets, and rings. A pair of Bode's signature black leather house shoes [10] — with cow and sun ornaments on the top — completed the monochromatic ensemble. Keep reading for more images of Rapinoe accepting the nation's highest civilian honor and her symbolic outfit.
