With her eyes almost entirely obscured by the rim of her wool boater-style hat, Melania Trump stood behind President-elect Donald Trump on stage at the United States Capitol Rotunda as he pledged the oath of office.
Designed by New York-based milliner Eric Javits, Trump’s hat was an austere flourish to a neat, military-style ensemble. Her navy silk wool double-breasted coat was nipped at the waist and worn with bare legs and stiletto heels.
The piece was designed by Adam Lippes, a New York-based designer who has dressed Biden and Michelle Obama. (Trump has previously worn Lippes several times, most recently choosing a shirtdress from the fashion house last summer while out in New York and wore the label several times during her husband’s first term.) Beneath the tailored coat was a silk wool pencil skirt and an ivory silk crepe blouse folded into a sharp neckline, all hand-sewn by Lippes’ team in New York. “The tradition of the presidential inauguration embodies the beauty of American democracy and today we had the honor to dress our first lady, Mrs. Melania Trump,” Lippes said in a statement. “Mrs. Trump’s outfit was created by some of America’s finest craftsmen and I take great pride in showing such work to the world.”
The only sign that this was the coldest inauguration ceremony in 40 years came from her black leather gloves.
But it was the millinery that turned heads. “(With) her face half hidden by her hat, Melania remains aloof,” said professor Nichola Gutgold, author of “Electing Madam Vice President: When Women Run, Women Win,” in an email to CNN.
She appeared elusive, with a slight combative edge to her ensemble — something that is not unusual for Trump. Throughout her first term as first lady from 2017 to 2021, Trump’s stylistic evolution came to include more structured, military-inspired dresses and skirt suits in khaki, navy and gray. “As the public persona emerged, she still craved privacy,” Kate Bennett, a former CNN White House correspondent, said ahead of the inauguration. “Her clothes, in my opinion, really reflected that. … Her silhouettes became long-sleeved, cinched waists, hard shoulders, longer hemline, like almost a military-esque vibe. I think that’s because it felt like armor … Because she underwent four years of really intense scrutiny.”
