Melania Trump enigmatic down to her hat

Fashion

First lady Melania Trump attends a luncheon following inauguration at the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. Credits: Kevin Dietsch / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

At each inauguration of an American president, the First Lady's outfit is scrutinized and commented on: Melania Trump did not miss this tradition on Monday, with a hat so large that it seemed to hide her view.

Known for being secretive and often discreet in Donald Trump's shadow, Melania Trump wore a long, tight navy coat and a matching wide-brimmed hat, which hid her eyes in most of the photos. So wide that when the 47th President of the United States wanted to give her a kiss, at the moment of the swearing-in, he had to stop a few centimeters from the cheek.

The outfit sparked a flurry of comments from fashion experts and on social media, with some comparing Melania Trump to the video game character Carmen Sandiego, which was adapted into a series by Netflix.

Melania Trump's coat and skirt are designs by New York-based independent American designer Adam Lippes.

"The tradition of the presidential inauguration embodies the beauty of American democracy and today we had the honor of dressing our First Lady, Mrs. Melania Trump," the designer said in a statement that emphasizes American craftsmanship over political ideology.

"Ms. Trump's outfit was created by some of America's finest artisans and I am very proud to show this work to the world," he added.

The hat was designed by designer Eric Javits.

First ladies' outfits and their potential political significance have often been highly scrutinized in the past, even though no woman has ever been elected president of the United States.

Jimmy Carter's wife, Rosalynn Carter, provoked a lot of reaction by wearing a dress that was already worn, when her husband was inaugurated in 1977. The aim was to show empathy for the economic difficulties that Americans were going through.

In recent years, they have regularly turned to independent designers, like Jill Biden in 2021, with a sparkling blue coat-dress set from Markarian, a New York brand, that matched her anti-Covid mask, a must-have accessory four years ago. (AFP)

This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.FR. It was translated to English using AI and edited by Rachel Douglass.

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