Mike Trout may be leading the American League with 15 homeruns, but look over your shoulder Mike, Melania Trump is hot on your heels. The FLOTUS just wrapped up her first foreign tour visiting Italy, Brussels, Israel and Saudi Arabia and she literally hit homer after homer with her wardrobe choices. Her fashion was First Lady fabulous. Whereas Michelle Obama did a brilliant job of the high-low, making the fussiest fashionista pine for a J.Crew cardigan, Melania embraced her model background and delivered the kind of aspirational looks usually reserved for the catwalks or the pages of W. Magazine.
She departed Washington in a Hervé Pierre leather skirt and cream Max Mara sweater, accessorized with large, full coverage sunnies. The look was casually elegant enough to motivate anyone presently travelling in Lulu Lemon to try a little harder.
First stop Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Stepping off Air Force One in a Stella McCartney black jumpsuit, accessorized with a large Saint Laurent gold belt, she respectfully conjured up the idea of an Abaya while clearly not costuming it up.
Her modest non-form fitting Ralph Lauren khaki shirt dress, paired with zebra-printed Manolo Blahnik heels was perfection for a visit to the American International School in the country. Some say FLOTUS opted for an “American manicure” as opposed to a “French manicure” as a nod to her newly minted position.
Melania wore a Karl Lagerfeld white pantsuit, with a full coverage black blouse, to the Arab Islamic Summit. Her decision to forego a long skirt might have been interpreted as a coy suggestion by the FLOTUS that she had just as much a right to be there as any of the men.
In the evening a purple caped Reem Acra gown covered every inch of her body save for her lower arms. It was ideally reverential to the culture and elegant at the same time.
Arriving in Israel, the First Lady chose a white belted Michael Kors suit with candy striper themed Manolo Blahniks. Was her selection of white, a color symbolizing transparency and peace, lost on anyone?
Dinner with Benjamin Natanyahu called for a lace and tulle Dolce & Gabbana dress. It was lined and modest but striking all the same.
Visiting the Holocaust memorial in Israel, she paired a cream tone on tone striped Roksanada dress with nude Manolos. It was demure and tea length, and conveyed her desire to not draw attention to herself during the solemn outing.
When in Rome…Melania showcased her favorite Italian design duo Dolce & Gabbana, wearing them exclusively for the visit to their homeland. Arriving in a tasteful black coat-dress with gold brocade trim on the collar and cuffs, accessorized with the brand’s square framed sunnies, her smile betrayed her affection for the label.
For the infamous audience with the Pope, she followed the Vatican dress code and opted for a head to toe black look including a lace mantilla, black Manolo Blahniks, and a Dolce & Gabbana coat dress. It was a fashionably reserved look and the loose, low, swept-up hair only complimented the details of the ensemble’s round collar.
Melania bid Italy “arrivederci” looking like a glam jet-setter or a model in a Dolce & Gabbana ad campaign. The same over-sized black sunglasses, the black lace dress and the black purse with metallic accents would certainly garner an approving nod from the late Franca Sozzani.
Air Force One landed in Brussels and she didn’t disappoint with her Michael Kors gingham coat dress. It was belted, and this seemed to be a theme repeated a few times over the course of the trip. The matching shoes were a classic touch that somehow didn’t seem overdone but rather a thoughtful completion to the overall look.
A skirt suit by local Belgian designer Maison Ullens, complete with tone on tone belting and exposed stitching, took Melania on a visit to a local children’s hospital. Manolo Blahnik metallic pumps and her wedding ring were her only accessories for the taupe neutral look.
Later that day, dinner hosted by Queen Mathilde of Belgium called for a change into a fantastic (one of my favorite looks of the trip) Dolce & Gabbana off the shoulder dress. She paired it with strappy Dolce stilettos and a red pedicure.
By this point I was exhausted, this trip had been a fashion frenzy. But it seemed so well thought out by Mrs. Trump that she saved the wow factor looks for last. Editors and sales associates the world over rejoiced as Melania showed off a floral Dolce & Gabbana coat, worn cape style over her shoulders, in Sicily. It was textural and fun and she paired it with a matching posy of a purse. The simple cream brocade accented dress matched her shoes and the lining of the fun topper. Apparently the $$$ coat immediately sold out on Lauren Santa Domingo’s Moda Operandi e-commerce fashion site, where a fifty percent 26k deposit was required.
The last look of the trip was the silver Dolce & Gabbana dress Melania wore to a concert for G7 leaders and their spouses, at an ancient Greek Theater. It was glitteringly sparkly in the golden hours and she paired it with the label’s equally sparkly silver shoes. The high neck, long length and full coverage sleeves could only be pulled off by someone with her figure, height and poise.
Arriving home on the Whitehouse lawn, FLOTUS wore a simple mint green cardigan with white cropped wide leg pants and chunky heeled pumps. The perfect digestivi to a decadently rich flight of fashion
Born and raised in Slovenia, Melania Trump was certainly at ease overseas, especially with the European crowd. It was rumored she packed a bag for every event of the nine-day trip. By my math that’s over 27 bags. Whatever her baggage allowance, she more than garnered spotlight time, with her daily visits independent of her husband and her unapproachable style choices. In some upside down crazy way, seeing Melania shine in this way humanized the President. Perhaps it was my vision of his face reading next month’s Amex bill.
