Bernie Sanders and his mittens win inauguration day meme and comfy fashion game

Senator Bernie Sanders may not have gotten the Democratic party's presidential nomination, but he sure did steal the limelight on the president-elect's Inauguration Day. Dressed in his iconic Burton winter coat and a pair of incredibly comfy-looking mittens, the 79-year-old quickly became one of the most talked-about fashion moments from the event on social media, outshining even the likes of Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez. While many praised the senator's sensible choice of clothing in Washington's chilly weather, several others saw in his patterned brown wool mittens, the perfect opportunity for a new meme.

Something about this photo of Sanders sitting all alone on a folding chair, bundled up in the same jacket he wore in his now-famous "I am once again asking" video, and his oversized wool mittened arms crossed, flipped all the right switches in the meme world. Twitter users soon began lifting the senator and placing him in various locations and hilarious situations; and when I say various, I mean just about everywhere you can imagine.

While social media seems to have filled up with memes based on this particular photo — taken by photographer Brendan Smialowski — alone, Sanders' outfit for the event and an intriguing looking manila envelope also gave rise to many hilarious observations.

As it turns out, the senator's much-talked-about mittens and jacket both have heartwarming stories behind them. The cozy mittens that turned heads and lit up social media were reportedly created by Vermont teacher Jane Ellis, who made them from repurposed wool sweaters and lined them with fleece from recycled plastic bottles. Speaking to NBC Boston about the moment she spotted the mittens on TV, she said: "I was like, 'There they are.' I love it that he loves them and that he wears them. And I'm totally honored that he wore them today."

Ellis, who said she has never met the senator, is a full-time elementary school teacher in Vermont's Essex-Westford School District. As for how her mittens actually reached Sanders' hands, it all started with her daughter Helen, who went to a child care center owned by a relative of the senator. When she wanted gifts for the staff a couple of years back, Ellis had an "in" who could slip a pair to the former presidential candidate. The mittens have clearly become a favorite of Sanders, who also wore them at stops on the campaign trail when he was running for president in 2020, and in interviews with Vermont journalists.

Sanders' now-iconic coat also has a sweet backstory. The senator's wife, Jane O'Meara Sanders, revealed on Twitter that the jacket was a Christmas gift from their son who worked with the Vermont-based brand Burton. "Our son Dave, worked with @burtonsnowboard founder Jake Burton on a limited edition jacket with Bernie Sanders' face on the back. Bernie really liked it, so Dave got him one - without his image - for Christmas. Vermont jacket, Vermont gloves, Vermont common sense," her tweet reads. Burton also issued a tweet in honor of the occasion, posting an image on how to "steal the look," complete with the jacket.