The Tamesis
Despite this fashion narrative, little is known about the choices behind the clothes and the message she hoped to convey through her style choices. The focus was on the clothes themselves: their construction; their fit; the “straight” and “sharp” details; and how good the First Lady looked in them.
“I guess it depends on what looks good and what she likes,” stylist Bailey Moon, who served as a fashion adviser to Dr. Jill Biden during her tenure as first lady, said of Melania’s style. “There’s no deeper meaning to it. To me, there’s no strategy. She’s a clotheshorse and she loves clothes. When she likes a dress, she loves a dress. It doesn’t matter where it comes from.”
Yet, against a fraught political backdrop — one that has intensified in the first year of Trump’s second term — many people do care about where the clothes those in power choose to wear come from. (Including Moon; that’s why he doesn’t work with brands that deal directly with this administration.) Fashion is first and foremost a business, but for brands it’s not as simple as opting in or out. And, experts agree, staying neutral is nearly impossible.
fashion statement
At last night’s Kennedy Center premiere, Melania wore a black suit by Dolce & Gabbana, a brand she has worn numerous times during her time in the White House, including for her official White House portrait. The debut look was not coordinated with the brand. (Dolce & Gabbana declined to comment because the designer and CEO were in Miami for an upcoming show at ICA Miami.) Nicki Minaj, Trump’s new public ally, showed up wearing a look by Schiaparelli. Other Republican luminaries also weighed in, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Pete Hegseth and Kelly Loeffler.
Melania’s choice of buttoned-skirt ensemble was eye-catching, especially compared to the Glamazon gown she wore while filming with von Unwerth. The look is consistent with the image the first lady has projected during the Trump presidency: sharp, a word that has been used repeatedly throughout the presidency. Melania When it comes to how the First Lady wants her clothes to look.
When Melania Trump wore Adam Lippes — a lesser-known American designer instead of her usual European designers — to the inauguration, onlookers wondered if it was a sign of things to come in first lady fashion. Will she promote more American and emerging brands? After all, U.S. manufacturing is a talking point for Trump.
