Even when she doesn’t say anything, Melania seems intent on being heard.
As she stood next to her husband, but slightly behind her, triumphantly ringing the New York Stock Exchange’s opening bell for Christmas, she might have been forgiven for ceding the day to a man who had just been named by Time Magazine as ” Person of the Year’. ‘
Instead, stately and impeccably dressed in a chalk gray and white Ralph Lauren Collection double-breasted flannel pantsuit – a crisp white cotton blouse peeking out from her open blazer – Melania stood out and stood tall among a gathered group of women who were predictably worn clothes had been worn. black.
As she stepped onto the stage, her left hand resting softly in her pocket, she exuded a cool confidence that spoke volumes – even as she failed to utter a single word, including refusing to join in the chants of ‘USA ‘ that erupted as her husband prepared for his moment.
Melania echoed the effect of the gray Dior ‘New Look’ skirt suit she wore on election night 2024, when understated elegance contrasted with the ostentatious Palm Beach-inspired ensembles of the extended Trump family, achieving something even more on this occasion more remarkable: by making black – the color of choice for most New York fashionistas (financial and otherwise) – seem parochial.
By extension, that even applied to the women who gathered immediately around her at the fair, including stepdaughters Ivanka and Tiffany.
This was Donald Trump’s day. Melania didn’t say anything at all. Yet she still stood out from the distinguished crowd.
It was a poignant reminder of how far the former and future First Lady has come, both in style and substance.
This was Donald Trump’s day when he rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange to celebrate being named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year. Melania said nothing, but still stood out from the distinguished crowd.
Stately and impeccably dressed in a chalk gray and white double-breasted flannel pantsuit from the Ralph Lauren collection, Melania stood tall among a gathered group of women who had predictably worn black.
The gray Dior ‘New Look’ skirt suit she wore on 2024 election night (pictured) contrasted with the extended Trump family’s flashy, Palm Beach-inspired ensembles.
When the world first met Melania Trump in the early 2000s, she was best known for her qualities as a socialite and model, often seen front row at fashion shows or during their glitzy appearances in New York’s party scene.
At the time, the Slovenian-born glamazon favored sequins and silks — along with sky-high hemlines, cropped tops and pronounced plunging necklines — styles that maximized her curvaceous character.
The satin cocktail dresses with corsets from Dolce & Gabbana were a particular favourite. They were suggestively sexy and fit perfectly with the showmanship image that Trump – first boyfriend and then, in 2005, husband – cultivated during his years as a television personality.
But as Donald’s ambitions evolved, so did Melania’s style, with the exception of the white plunging bandeau cocktail dress she wore in 2015 as she rode down the escalator in Trump Tower to watch her husband announce his first presidential bid . First Lady embraced an increasingly ladylike attitude.
Although her couture creations were often praised, she initially lacked any real style. Fashion watchers would suggest that the clothes seemed to wear her, rather than the other way around.
In 2019, just three years after her unsolicited public posting, Melania herself was asked to ring the opening bell — something to keep her busy while her husband opened the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Instead of making stylistic waves, she opted for cautious predictability in her choice of an all-business black, sleeveless, figure-hugging Prada midi dress.
However, Melania is a quick learner. Her confidence clearly grew, especially after she first entered the White House, and now, after nearly a decade of dressing for the political arena, she seems to have hit her stride.
With the exception of the white plunging bandeau cocktail dress she wore in 2015 (pictured) as she rode down the escalator in Trump Tower to watch her husband announce his first presidential bid, the future First Lady has embraced an increasingly ladylike style . behavior.
At the time, the Slovenian-born glamazon favored sequins and silks — along with sky-high hemlines, cropped tops and pronounced plunging necklines — styles that maximized her curvaceous character. (Photo: Melania Trump in New York in 1998)
President-elect Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins (pictured, left of Melania Trump) wore a $2,490 Ralph Lauren “officer jacket,” complete with brass buttons, gold braid and red collar. The outfit was a holiday 2024 highlight on the designer’s website.
Instead of making stylistic waves, she opted for cautious predictability in her choice of an all-business black, sleeveless, figure-hugging Prada midi dress. (Image: First Lady Melania Trump at the New York Stock Exchange on September 23, 2019)
When Donald Trump took the oath of office in 2019, all eyes were on Melania, wearing a light blue ensemble inspired by Jackie Kennedy and styled by her dresser, Herve Pierre.
Dressed in her returning red Dior ‘New Look’ two-piece skirt suit (she had worn the same outfit to great effect during a presidential visit to Paris in 2017), Melania walked across the Milwaukee convention stage exuding sartorial confidence (pictured).
First Lady Melania Trump is welcomed during a rally at the Amway Center in Orlando in 2000
Take, for example, her striking performance on the final night of the Republican Convention in July.
Although unlike 2016, she had stood on stage in the candy-like foam of her white silk Roksanda cocktail dress and – embarrassingly – poached lines from Michelle Obama’s 2008 convention speech, this time Melania refused to say a word.
Instead, dressed in her red Dior ‘New Look’ two-piece skirt suit (she had worn the same outfit to great effect during a presidential visit to Paris in 2017), she walked across the conference stage exuding sartorial confidence.
By embracing the razor-sharp tailoring of one of the iconic feminine silhouettes of the 20th century – the New Look was purposefully created to celebrate femininity and opulence in women’s fashion – Melania expressed her determination to challenge the conventional expectations of both a First Lady as a female member of Trump. clan.
The moment’s success also set a template for her performance on election night in November.
As her husband celebrated his historic victory in the warmth of the wee hours in Florida, and members of his entourage embraced their cocktail glitz, Melania basked in the glow of conservative elegance that reminded the audience how different their future First Lady was from the rest of her family – and her predecessors.
Melania has entered a new era where clothes seem to express not only her desire to look beautiful, but also her intention to show that she remains very much her own person.
Some like to dismiss her as little more than a fashion model; she begs to differ.
Aware of her outsider status — and clearly recognizing that she will never join the pantheon of traditional First Ladies — Melania has embraced her difference and found a language in clothing that ensures she will never be lost in a Trumpian crowd.