How Melania Trump aced the ‘First Lady fashion’ game at Trump’s inauguration

US presidential inaugurations are about pomp and pageantry. There are a lot of traditions and procedures to follow on this historic day. It’s also about style and fashion with many watchers trying to decipher the messages the US leadership, namely the First Lady, tries to indicate through her sartorial choices.

And Donald Trump’s inauguration has been no exception where First Lady Melania Trump oozed style and glamour through the different looks she put together for the big day.

From the inaugural ceremony look to the inaugural ball designs — we size up the First Lady’s style.

Hats off to Melania

For her first and, perhaps, main look at the inauguration, incoming US First Lady Melania Trump chose to ditch the European luxury labels that she favours to wear a custom navy silk wool coat and pencil skirt with an ivory silk crepe blouse from New York-born designer Adam Lippes.

What elevated her look more was the navy boater-style hat, featuring a white band, designed by another American, Eric Javits. Notably, Javits told WWD last week, “No other hands touched, nor did any other eyes see, the hat, prior to stylist Herve [Pierre] and the first lady receiving it.”

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Many commented on the size of her hat — it, after all, blocked her husband’s kiss to her, making it one of the most awkward moments of the event. But as celebrity stylist and fashion expert Lauren Rothman pointed out in a BBC report it was Melania’s way of blending Palm Beach and DC. Javits is based in Florida’s Palm Beach, which is close to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.

Some other style hawks noted that Melania’s choice of attire for the inauguration ceremony was very reminiscent of Trumps’ 2019 state visit to the UK. For a visit to Buckingham Palace to meet the late Queen, she wore a white Dolce & Gabbana dress with a white boater-style hat, designed by her stylist Hervé Pierre, trimmed with a black ribbon. Her hair was styled in a low bun, creating a striking silhouette.

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The stylists noted that maybe Melania was trying to recreate the British royal style. In fact, a tailored coat and fascinating headwear are often the go-to style options for Britain’s Princess of Wales.

But for Rachel Tashjian, style critic for The Washington Post, the look was a flop. She wrote, “She cut the figure of a mafia widow or high-ranking member of an obscure religious order, and a bit of My Fair Lady.

She also noted that the monochrome look is a sharp departure from her style during the previous Trump tenure. “For her second round as first lady, the fashion game — the tool she brandishes most often and most forcefully, even if the public sometimes struggles to divine her sartorial messages — is likely to be one of steely, precise armour, of clothes with brash and exacting tailoring,” wrote Tashjian in the Washington Post.

“For the past year, she has worn a wardrobe of mostly black, but this does not seem intended to make her disappear into the background.”

Melania’s black-and-white moment

After the inauguration ceremony, came the inaugural balls — the Commander-in-Chief Ball, the Liberty Inaugural Ball and the Starlight Ball.

For these events, Melania appeared with her husband, Donald Trump, dressed in a white column dress with a black ribboned design. She paired the look with a matching black choker necklace that had a silver pendant on it. According to WWD, the pendant on her choker is a diamond brooch created by famous jeweller Harry Winston in 1955.

Her dress was made by her personal stylist of eight years, Hervé Pierre, who helped her put together her eye-catching look. Pierre also created the dress Melania wore in 2017 to the Inaugural Balls with Donald.

Speaking on the same, Pierre told WWD, “It is a big honour to have collaborated with the First Lady on the design for her inaugural dress. It was clear that Mrs Trump was gravitating towards a combination of black and white – true to her own style and vision.”

The designer said that he sought inspiration for his dress from the level of care that artisans used to restore Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. He wanted to incorporate that into the design, adding to WWD, “We need to be promote American craftsmanship at the highest level.”

Usha Vance shines bright

While Melania stole the show with her style, she wasn’t the only one standing out. US Vice President, JD Vance’s wife, Usha , also turned heads for her sartorial choices.

The India-origin Usha chose a pale pink belted coat and scarf from well-known designer Oscar de la Renta. Many perceived her choice of the bubblegum pink outfit to be a nod to her Indian roots; this shade of pink is associated with charm and beauty.

And it seems her fashion choices hit it off with style divas and experts. Style strategist Lauren A Rothman told BBC, “I would absolutely label her as one to watch. It doesn’t look like a costume. It looks like she’s having fun.”

For the inaugural balls, Usha Vance kept up the style quotient by wearing an elaborate sequined navy blue gown. The dress was created by New York-based Lebanese designer Reem Acra, who in an email to CNN said that Vance was “a true vision of grace and style on this monumental evening.”

US Second Lady also turned heads earlier on Sunday when she wore a purple gown designed by India’s Gaurav Gupta for the Candlelight Dinner. Gupta in the past has designed some looks for pop diva Beyonce.

Usha Vance wore Gaurav Gupta, an Indian couturier, to the pre-inauguration candlelight dinner on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/eijXRk3kbK

— Vanessa Friedman (@VVFriedman) January 20, 2025

Ivanka ups the style quotient

And just as Melania shone bright at the inauguration, so did Trump’s daughter, Ivanka . She matched Melania’s serious colour palette with an emerald green skirt suit with a matching hat. The look was courtesy famous fashion house Dior.

Some, however, found Ivanka’s inauguration look to be comparable to a look in the dystopian show Handmaid’s Tale, where women are often depicted wearing shades. One commenter posted on social media, “Came straight from filming season 6 of Handmaid’s Tale.” Another joked, “I had no idea the French Foreign Legion was in town.”

And Ivanka, it seems, kept the best for last. For the inaugural balls, she chose a black and white Givenchy haute couture gown. The dress featured a bustier gown with an overskirt in off-white silk taffetas that was overlaid with tone-on-tone organdy and trimmed with a black silk satin organza ruffle. The dress was also embellished with black handprint and threadwork in floral motifs.'

Incidentally, the gown was originally designed for Audrey Hepburn in the 1954 film Sabrina. A source told Hola magazine that Ivanka may have chosen the dress as Hepburn has been a personal inspiration to her.

She also completed her stunning look with a Leviev diamond necklace, coordinating cluster earrings and black opera gloves.

All in all, we have got to say that the inauguration really served up some amazing style, barring a few misses ( Lauren Sanchez we are talking about you).

With inputs from agencies