The Dress Has Many Meanings

When she stepped onto the stage at the Commander-in-Chief Ball, the traditional ball after the US Presidential Inauguration, on the evening of January 20 (local time), Mrs. Melania Trump attracted attention with her feminine and charming appearance in an off-the-shoulder white crepe silk dress with a thick black gazar silk strip as an accent.

The outfit was designed by Herve Pierre, the longtime stylist of the US First Lady. The black and white combination creates a highlight. Not as ostentatious as Ivanka Trump, who wore a copy of Audrey Hepburn’s Givenchy dress in the 1954 film Sabrina, Mrs. Melania’s choice was a subtle tribute to 1950s fashion

Melania Trump wears her own designer’s design to the inaugural ball. Photo: Getty Images/X.

It is worth noting that the former model, born in 1970, wore an outfit that was also inspired by a Hollywood legend, but in a more iconic film – My Fair Lady. In the film, Hepburn plays an innocent girl who becomes a star wearing a black and white outfit. The design in the film was created by British photographer and designer Cecil Beaton. The late artist was Pierre’s idol.

Pierre said that this was Melania’s choice, instead of affirming that she has always been loyal to her own style and vision.

Melania’s golden age Hollywood look was completed with a diamond flower brooch designed by American jewelry legend Harry Winston in 1955. She attached it to a black ribbon necklace.

Pierre pointed out that this accessory was in sync with the dress: the ribbon surrounding the flower. This detail evokes the image of Melania as the flower being cherished.

More importantly, Melania and her stylist wanted to pay tribute to the late master jeweler, who had dreamed of creating a permanent collection of precious stones for first ladies, called American Queens. Unfortunately, Winston was unable to make that ambition a reality because government officials rejected the idea in 1982. They felt that the concept was incompatible with the democratic traditions of the United States and that Americans might be offended by something reminiscent of royal jewels.

Melania wanted to pay tribute to jewelry designer Harry Winston through the flower brooch detail attached to the necklace. Photo: AP.

A rebuke of Hollywood elite

According to the Daily Mail, Melania sees herself as a legacy builder, with or without help from the fashion world.

The role of first lady’s fashion designer has long been a highly regarded one. In the past, American designers have competed to create inaugural gowns. Melania, however, is an exception. Nearly a decade after she first entered the White House, she has been shunned by America’s fashion elite.

In 2017, the legendary Ralph Lauren, who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom just days before Biden left office, designed a pale blue dress for Melania to wear to her husband’s first inauguration. There was no such help this time around. For Trump’s second inauguration, Lauren chose to collaborate with former First Lady Jill Biden, creating a monochrome purple dress.

Ralph Lauren turned down Melania to design clothes for Jill Biden. Photo: AP/Reuters.

To the outside world, the way Melania was treated was truly shocking. She not only had money, power and a desirable figure, but she could not find a famous local designer to serve her, forcing her to shop at stores. According to Pierre, Melania’s money was even refused at stores on Madison Avenue (New York).

Even more surprising, Melania seemed to be “banned” from the American fashion world by Anna Wintour, Vogue editor-in-chief and staunch Democratic supporter.

However, Melania did not seem to be affected by such arrogant and narrow-minded attitudes. She charted her own path in a way that was quite similar to another first lady she sympathized with and admired the most. That person also liked to refute her critics with subtle art.

Like Jackie Kennedy, wife of the 35th US President John F. Kennedy, Melania found herself barred from international haute couture showrooms. Jackie’s ban was imposed by her husband’s politicians, who preferred her to wear domestic labels over European rivals. Melania, meanwhile, was excluded because almost the entire Hollywood elite disliked her husband.

If Jackie had stylist Oleg Cassini, Melania had Herve Pierre. Both men were trained as fashion designers, steeped in style and history. They were seen as having a vision for change.

Pierre’s first design for Melania in 2017 bore a striking resemblance to the one Cassini made for Jackie in 1961: a white, sleeveless, column-style gown.

After the inauguration, Pierre’s new dress found a place in the Smithsonian Institution, where it displays the clothes worn by presidential wives since Martha Washington’s time, along with the two iconic designs mentioned above.