Melania Trump has never been satisfied with just staying in the background. As a former model who is now First Lady, she has always understood the power of fashion and, whether on purpose or not, has used it with expertise.
She once told Elle, “My style has stayed pretty consistent over the years. I always wear what I like and what is appropriate for the occasion.” However, as we saw during her time in the White House, her concept of “appropriate” veered into a row from time to time.
Melania’s wardrobe gets more media attention than her speeches, from her sky-high stilettos in disaster zones to a jacket with a message that set off social media. Whether you like Melania Trump or not, there is no question that she used fashion as a political lightning rod. Here are just five of the many times that her clothes caused a stir, debates, and, at times, even confusion around the world!
1) Gray at Rosalynn Carter’s memorial
All of the living First Ladies came together to pay tribute to Rosalynn Carter after she passed away in 2023. What was the dress code? Naturally, black. Everyone complied with one exception, of Melania, who turned up wearing a dove-gray coat.
The internet jumped in, calling her “clueless” and tone-deaf. However, etiquette experts defended her, reminding us that gray is, in fact, a color appropriate during mourning. Melania Trump showed that even the color of her coat can divide people.
2) Stilettos to a hurricane
Donald and Melania Trump flew into Texas to visit victims of Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
Critics went crazy when the First Lady stepped onto Marine One wearing high heels. She deserves credit for changing into sneakers right before landing, but the damage was already done, and the headline featured heels at a hurricane site. The stilettos became one of Melania’s defining “out of touch” moments, despite her team’s efforts to brush it off.
3) The infamous green jacket
Melania’s 2018 Zara jacket, on which it was boldly written “I really don’t care, do u?”, provoked far more outrage than a few other fashion choices throughout recent political history. She wore it on her way to a detention center for children of immigrants.
She took it off before she got there, but the damage was done. Was it a trolling attempt? Lack of interest? A press release? Later, Melania admitted that it was a jab at her critics. In any case, the jacket quickly came to symbolize the tone of the Trump era.
4) A $51,500 coat
In 2017, Melania Trump wore this $51,500 Dolce & Gabbana jacket to a visit with G7 leaders. But please, tell us about Kamala Harris spending a few hundred dollars on cookware. pic.twitter.com/Dq1X9GEThZ
— Kate 🪬🤍🇺🇸 (@ImSpeaking13) November 25, 2021
Though Melania Trump’s $51,500 jacket at the 2017 G7 Summit in Sicily took luxury to a whole new level, Dolce & Gabbana was never “relatable.” She received flak for wearing a garment that was more costly than the average American woman’s annual salary at that point in time. People brought up this event years later to draw attention to the double standards, and they even said that Melania had walked around in a five-figure floral dress. At the same time, Kamala Harris had been targeted for a $500 cookware set.
5) The pith helmet problem
Amazon is making a Melania Trump documentary. Pith helmet not included. pic.twitter.com/t9rvptJ3wt
— Dave Matt (@davematt88) January 8, 2025
Melania Trump wore khaki pants, a white blouse, and a pith helmet while on safari in Kenya in 2018. The accessory is a clear symbol of colonial oppression to many Africans. The question “Who advised you?” went viral on social media. While later saying that people were more interested in her clothes than her work, the First Lady showed no regret.
Her choice of clothing, as usual, sent the message in every instance.
