Melania Trump: Why her fashion contradicts the “America First” rule

Melania Trump caused a surprise at her husband’s inauguration. Although she almost never wears US brands, she shows up at the traditional celebration in an outfit designed by two American designers. Her coat is from Adam Lippes, her hat is from Eric Javits. It is the second time that Trump has chosen an outfit from a US brand at the swearing-in ceremony. In 2017, the then First Lady also appeared in a light blue cashmere dress from Ralph Lauren.

But even during her first term in office, she made no secret of the fact that she actually had a preference for Dior and Dolce & Gabbana. A circumstance that is not well received in the American fashion scene. Designers like Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs and Zac Posen later refused to design clothes for Trump. Even the US “Vogue”, the style bible run by Anna Wintour, never put her on the cover as First Lady. It is a tradition in the USA for presidential wives such as Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris, to grace the cover of the magazine. Melania Trump only made it to the title once: in 2005 as a bride in her Dior wedding dress.

Her preference for couture fashion from Paris and designer brands from Milan contradicts the tradition of many presidential wives and monarchs to wear and support their country’s fashion. For example, France’s First Lady Brigitte Macron often dresses in Louis Vuitton or Balmain on official occasions, while Spain’s Queen Letizia dresses in dresses from Carolina Herrera and even Zara. Michelle Obama also brought a lot of attention to many US designers during her time in office. Back then, she not only wore traditional American brands like Ralph Lauren, but also the designs of up-and-coming young designers. Many of them, such as Jason Wu, Narciso Rodriguez and Christopher John Rogers, have Taiwanese, Latin or African American roots.

The fact that Melania Trump has so far paid little attention to the US fashion industry doesn’t actually fit with her husband’s philosophy. With his slogan “Make America Great Again,” Donald Trump has been calling for making the country great again for years. Politically and economically. Only the fashion industry has so far ignored the couple. Will anything change? The Trumps now have four years to make a fashion change.