During the 2020 Republican National Convention, Melania Trump walked on stage in an outfit that was a blast from the past. She wore a jacket that looked like it was from an old military fashion magazine. This big, wide belt with two buckles came from Alexander McQueen and cost more than an ordinary person’s entire wardrobe.
But this look didn’t do her any favors. Instead of looking powerful or elegant, she got confused and thought she was going to a costume party from the 1980s. The style was so out of place that it made people wonder if she had the right event on her calendar. The drab olive color, broad shoulders, and heavy-handed accessories reeked of ’80s wealth cosplay. Not modern elegance.
This wasn’t just a minor misstep. According to Women.com, the look was “one of her worst,” with author Rose McMackin suggesting the aesthetic screamed Reaganomics nostalgia more than contemporary style.
Even though fashion is cyclical and retro references often re-emerge, by 2020, the exaggerated belt trend was long past its expiration date.
And for someone with access to stylists like Hervé Pierre Braillard, it wasn’t just a question of taste. It became a question of intention. Melania may have wanted to appear commanding, but instead, the fashion world collectively cringed.
This wasn’t the first time Melania Trump leaned into big belts, bold shoulders, or gold-buttoned suits. She has a documented history of gravitating toward 80s-inspired silhouettes, from the zebra-stripe getup she wore to Trump’s 2024 rally at Madison Square Garden to the extravagant red plaid Balmain blouse she wore in 2017.
She favors opulence, structure, and overt symbolism. In other words, peak ’80s excess.
It’s consistent, even if it’s consistently off the mark.
🔥 Melania just introduced Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden. The crowd is going INSANE.
Lee Greenwood is performing the song. This is basically the 2nd RNC.
Also – THIS is what joy looks like. pic.twitter.com/TThbuaFn38
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 27, 2024
The belted look, however, seemed to distill every criticism of Melania’s style over the years: out-of-touch luxury, stiff overstatement, and a penchant for wearing designers straight off the runway without the tailoring or reimagining that would make them feel fresh.
While the McQueen label carries cachet, wearing an entire look unaltered feels less like style and more like a mannequin. And yet, there’s a branding logic at work. The Trump aesthetic (gold-gilded everything, louder-than-life visuals) relies on nostalgia and extravagance. Melania’s fashion choices amplify that. In this way, even her fashion “failures” serve the political image.
If voters see a powerful woman standing beside a powerful man dressed like it’s 1984, maybe that’s the point. Style may move forward, but the Trump brand insists on looking back.
The RNC belt moment joins a long list of controversial Melania Trump outfits that sparked a national conversation. Who could forget her infamous “I Really Don’t Care, Do U?” jacket in 2018? Ostensibly worn to troll the media, the $40 Zara piece was widely interpreted as tone-deaf during a visit to a child detention center.
I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?
Melania is sugarcoating the facts.
Melania spread false ‘birther’ claims about Obama.
When first lady Melania said:
Who gives a fuck about the Christmas stuff and decorations.
What about the children that they were separated? Give me a fucking break. pic.twitter.com/uwCkL3246K— 🌊 Shazz is on Bluesky🌊🏴🇺🇸💙💛 (@gordy_shanks) September 5, 2024
Then there was the $51,500 Dolce & Gabbana coat she wore during the G7 Summit: a breathtaking piece, but not in context. It kicked off critiques that Melania, like Marie Antoinette before her, was cosplaying royalty while citizens struggled economically.
Melania’s safari-style pith helmet worn during a Kenyan trip in 2018 drew colonialist critiques, while her choice of a glamorous Céline dress on a hospital visit in Ghana raised eyebrows for its couture excess. Even her gray outfit at Rosalynn Carter’s funeral drew flak. And it was not for its fashion faux pas but for allegedly standing out deliberately during a somber occasion.
In each case, her defenders argue she’s a fashion-forward figure unfairly scrutinized. But as a public figure tied to political power, her clothes talk. The problem is, sometimes they scream when they should whisper.
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Melania Trump and Donald Trump making a public appearance together (Image via Instagram / people)
