Why Melania Trump's 'Fashion Choices' as First Lady Matter More Than You Think
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Michelle Obama is sharing her White House fashion evolution in the new book, The Look, and it’s a reminder of how influential the role of First Lady of the United States is to fashion.
As the current first lady, Melania Trump’s voice is very different from her predecessors, according to fashion historian Einav Rabinovitch-Fox. “There is no one goal or message that Flotus is trying to achieve through her dress,” Rabinovitch-Fox told the BBC. “Each first lady is different, and her use of clothing is different.”
She believes that Melania needs to use fashion to her advantage because she isn’t a high-profile figure at the White House. “Melania is not known as a great speaker, which made her fashion choices even more important, because many times, that was her form of speech,” she explained. Still, Melania is a former model, so “she knows very well how to use clothes.”
Her most controversial moment was during Donald Trump’s first administration when she wore an army-green Zara coat with the words, “I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?” sprawled across the back. She happened to be on an official visit to the U.S. border amid controversy surrounding the treatment of children being held in immigration centers in 2018.
“It’s obvious I didn’t wear the jacket for the children, I wore the jacket to go on the plane and off the plane,” Melania told ABC News in October 2018. “It was for the people and for the left-wing media who are criticizing me. I want to show them I don’t care. You could criticize whatever you want to say. But it will not stop me to do what I feel is right.”
Melania also waged a battle against Vogue the first time she was in the White House because she did not get a cover story like Michelle and Hillary Clinton did before her.
“They’re biased and they have likes and dislikes, and it’s so obvious, she told Fox Nation in May 2022. “And I think American people, and everyone, sees it. It was their decision, and I have much more important things to do — and I did in the White House — than being on the cover of Vogue.”
Melania continues to favor couture European brands over more affordable American designers, but her sleek, tailored look has become her signature style. Rabinovitch-Fox shared with the BBC that Melania isn’t just telling a story about her life through fashion, it’s also about Donald Trump’s current administration.
She concluded, “In general, I think that today, first ladies understand the power of fashion, and are trying to build an image for them that represents the country, but also theirs, and their husbands’ agenda.”
Before you go, click here to see quotes that prove Melania Trump is a lot like her husband.