The pale, light blue suit dress Melania Trump wore to her husband’s first inauguration (a custom Ralph Lauren design) drew immediate comparisons to Jackie Kennedy.
Her hair, loosely pulled back into a decidedly ’60s bun, framed a smiling face as she evoked, through fashion, a golden age of political idealism.
This time, things were decidedly more nuanced.
Opting for a more somber note, Melania dressed in a custom-made navy silk wool dress-coat (matching pencil skirt and ivory silk crepe blouse), all of which, to the surprise of many fashion watchers, fashion, had been hand-sewn in New York City by the niche, but far from cheap, American designer Adam Lippes.
Melania’s boater, the work of another American designer, Eric Javits, completed the striking ensemble.
Not since Hilary Clinton in 1993 has a First Lady opted for a hat on Inauguration Day, adding not only a theatrical touch to Melania’s ensemble but almost completely obscuring her eyes.
For a woman known for her love of sunglasses, perhaps this was the next best option on a day when everyone would be watching her.
At first glance, Melania, 54, appears to have paid homage to the traditions required of First Ladies at the inauguration.
The pale, light blue suit dress Melania Trump wore to her husband’s first inauguration (a custom Ralph Lauren design, right) drew immediate comparisons to Jackie Kennedy (left).
This time, Melania dressed in a custom-made navy silk wool coat-style dress, a matching pencil skirt, and an ivory silk crepe blouse, all of which, to the surprise of many fashion observers, had been hand sewn in New York City by the niche, but until now. by the economical American designer Adam Lippes.
Melania’s boater, the work of another American designer, Eric Javits, completed the striking ensemble.
He avoided his favorite European brands (despite opting for Dolce & Gabbana and Dior in the various pre-inauguration festivities) and highlighted two designers whose relatively unknown brands could now find a sudden boost in sales thanks to this presidential endorsement. .
In a statement issued Monday morning, Lippes said it had been an “honor” for her New York atelier to dress Melania in a tradition that “embodies the beauty of American democracy,” and that her outfit was the product of ” the best craftsmen in the United States. .
Javits was also proud of his handmade creation, which he had made himself (only eight percent of the hat’s hand stitching was machine-stitched).
“No other hand touched it… before Hervé (Pierre, Melania’s personal stylist) and the First Lady received it,” he said.
There was much praise for the ‘Made in America’ ensemble, and a collective gasp from fashion commentators surprised that the new First Lady had been able to find American designers willing to outfit her. (Many painfully liberal and somewhat snobbish brands have refused to work with Melania since her husband launched his political career.)
Of course, to track down these two designers for Melania, Hervé Pierre had to step away from the Madison Avenue boutiques (one of which once turned him away at the door) and think outside the box of an American fashion world that still dominated by the not-so-subtle disapproval of Democratic doyenne and Vogue editor Anna Wintour.
Adam Lippes, whose only independent store is a small studio-style showroom in the luxury fashion mall Brookfield Place (near One World Trade Center), is a relative newcomer and certainly not part of the elite club of the New York fashion. world.
Eric Javits is even further away. Supplier of straw hats and accessories for Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom, he currently resides in Miami. And that proximity to Mar-a-Lago meant Hervé was able to personally deliver the finished product to Melania in Palm Beach.
Lippes said it had been an “honor” for his New York atelier to dress Melania in a tradition that “embodies the beauty of American democracy,” and that her outfit was the product of “America’s finest artisans.”
Melania highlighted two designers whose relatively unknown brands could now find a sudden boost in sales thanks to this presidential endorsement. (She is pictured here wearing Dior on January 19).
Melania avoided her favorite European brands, despite opting for Dolce & Gabbana and Dior at the various festivities leading up to the inauguration. (He is pictured here wearing a Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo shirt.)
However, Melania’s outfit today strikes me as another reminder of what she does best: dressing unlike and apart from other First Ladies.
Stepping out of the black van for their morning service at St John’s Episcopal Church in Washington on Monday, Melania and the future 47th president seemed almost indistinguishable figures at first.
Both wore long, dark coats, and the incoming first lady abandoned tradition of adopting a bright, vivid color to stand out from the crowd.
Instead, Melania followed the lead of European couture houses and opted for monochromatic simplicity.
That, plus the hat and an almost masculine line, ensured that she stood out against (and apart from) the other Trump women who would inevitably populate the image.
The silk wool of its coat bore a striking resemblance to Dior’s preferred fabric for its outerwear, while its stiff peak lapels evoked the Dolce & Gabbana brand.
The slanted elegance of its two patch pockets on either side was another hallmark of the tailored European dressing that has become Melania’s mainstay in recent years.
By literally finishing off the look with the unconventional choice of a hat (certainly for Americans), he evoked his 2019 meeting with Queen Elizabeth II, when she wore a very similar style (one that had later been designed by Hervé Pierre himself). .
It also echoed the ceremonial attire of British royal women, who rarely appear on such a momentous occasion without a spectacular piece of millinery.
I’m sure Melania’s outfit will divide opinion. The angular style and dark tones are not what people expect from the traditional American consort.
By literally finishing off the look with the unconventional choice of a hat (certainly for Americans), he evoked his 2019 meeting with Queen Elizabeth II (pictured), when she wore a very similar style.
It also echoed the ceremonial attire of British royal women, who rarely appear on such a momentous occasion without a spectacular piece of millinery. (Kate Middleton is pictured on November 13, 2022.)
But I think he has once again confused his critics. By opting for a design that is surely American but surprisingly similar to the European silhouettes that are her sartorial mainstay, Melania has demonstrated not only independence of spirit but also historical awareness of a manual dominated by Jackie Kennedy.
Forced by political pressure to abandon Parisian haute couture, Jackie turned to an American designer, Oleg Cassini, to recreate her beloved French silhouettes and become, as she later dubbed him, its ‘Style Secretary’.
It remains to be seen if Adam Lippes will play that role.
Monday’s election certainly opens up the possibility that, at least when it comes to fashion, Melania has something very different in mind for the next four years.