The powder blue, pale suit dress that Melania Trump wore for her husband's first inauguration — a custom design by Ralph Lauren — immediately drew comparisons to Jackie Kennedy.
Her hair, loosely done in a decidedly 1960s chignon, framed a smiling face as she evoked a golden age of political idealism through fashion.
This time, things were decidedly more nuanced.
Opting for a more somber tone, Melania wrapped herself in a custom-made navy blue silk wool coat dress – matching pencil skirt and ivory silk crepe blouse – all of which, to the surprise of many fashion lovers, was hand-sewn in New York City by the niche, but distant by cheap, American designer Adam Lippes.
Melania's skipper – from another American designer, Eric Javits – completed the striking ensemble.
Not since Hilary Clinton in 1993 has a First Lady opted for an Inauguration Day hat, which not only added a touch of the theatrical to Melania's ensemble but almost completely obscured her eyes.
For a woman known for her love of sunglasses, this was perhaps the best choice on a day when the whole world would be watching her.
At first glance, Melania, 54, appears to have paid tribute to the traditions required at the inauguration of the First Ladies.
The powder blue, pale suit dress Melania Trump wore for her husband's first inauguration (a custom Ralph Lauren design, right) immediately drew comparisons to Jackie Kennedy (left).
This time, Melania wrapped herself in a custom navy blue silk wool coat dress, a matching pencil skirt and an ivory silk crepe blouse, all of which, to the surprise of many fashion lovers, were hand-sewn in New York City at the alcove, but far from the cheap American designer Adam Lippes.
Melania's skipper, from another American designer, Eric Javits, completed the striking ensemble.
She eschewed her favorite European labels (despite opting for both Dolce & Gabbana and Dior during the various pre-inauguration festivities) and put the spotlight on two designers whose relatively unknown labels would now see a sudden surge in sales thanks to this presidential patronage can experience. .
In a statement released Monday morning, Lippes said it had been an “honor” for his New York studio to dress Melania in a tradition that “embodies the beauty of American democracy,” and that her outfit was the product of “America's finest craftsmen'. .
Javits also sounded proud of his handmade creation, which he made himself (only eight percent of the hand-stitched material on the hat was machine-sewn).
'No other hand has touched it… before Herve [Pierre, Melania’s personal stylist] and the First Lady receiving it,” he said.
There was much praise for the 'Made in America' ensemble – and a collective sigh from fashion commentators in surprise 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 find these two designers for Melania, Herve Pierre had to venture far from the boutiques of Madison Avenue (one of which had once turned him away at the door) and think outside the box of an American fashion world still dominated by the not-so-subtle disapproval of Democratic doyenne and Vogue editor Anna Wintour.
Adam Lippes – whose only freestanding 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. world.
Eric Javits is even further away. He is currently a supplier of headwear and straw accessories to Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom and is currently based in Miami. And that proximity to Mar-a-Lago meant Herve could hand-deliver the finished product to Melania in Palm Beach.
Lippes said it had been an “honor” for his New York studio 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 spotlighted two designers whose relatively unknown labels could now see a sudden uptick in sales thanks to this presidential patronage. (She is pictured here with Dior on January 19).
Melania eschewed her favorite European labels, despite opting for both Dolce & Gabbana and Dior during the various pre-inaugural festivities. (She is pictured here wearing a Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo shirt).
Still, today, Melania's outfit still seems like a reminder of what she does best: dressing differently and apart from other First Ladies.
As they stepped out of the black SUV for her early morning service at St John's Episcopal Church in Washington on Monday, Melania and the soon-to-be 47th president initially seemed almost indistinguishable figures.
They both wore long dark coats and the incoming First Lady abandoned the tradition of adopting a bright, vibrant color to stand out from the crowd.
Instead, Melania took a leaf out of the playbook of European haute couture houses and opted for monochrome simplicity.
That, plus the hat and an almost masculine line, made her stand out from — and apart from — the other Trump women who would inevitably populate the photo.
The silk wool of her coat looked remarkably similar to the fabric Dior preferred for their outerwear, while the stiff peak lapels evoked the Dolce & Gabbana trademark.
The slanted chic of her two patch pockets on each side was another hallmark of the European tailoring that has become Melania's mainstay in recent years.
Literally completing the look with the unconventional choice of hat (especially for Americans), she evoked her meeting with Queen Elizabeth II in 2019, when she wore a very similar style (a style then designed by Herve Pierre herself ).
It also reflected the ceremonial dress of British royal women, who rarely appear for such a momentous occasion without a statement fashion piece.
I'm sure Melania's outfit will divide opinion. The angular style and dark tones are not what one expects from the traditional American consort.
Literally completing the look with the unconventional choice of hat (especially for Americans), she evoked her meeting with Queen Elizabeth II in 2019 (pictured), when she wore a very similar style.
It also reflected the ceremonial dress of British royal women, who rarely appear for such a momentous occasion without a statement fashion piece. (Kate Middleton pictured on November 13, 2022).
But I believe she has once again confused her critics. By opting for a design that is decidedly American yet strikingly similar to the European silhouettes that are her sartorial mainstay, Melania has demonstrated not only an independence of spirit, but also a historical awareness of a playbook set by Jackie Kennedy controlled.
Forced by political pressure to leave Parisian haute couture behind, Jackie turned to American designer Oleg Cassini to recreate her beloved French silhouettes and become, as she later called him, her “Secretary of Style.”
It remains to be seen whether Adam Lippes will fill such a role.
Monday's choices certainly open up the possibility that when it comes to fashion, Melania has something completely different in mind for the next four years.
