From typical '90s getups to White House couture and all the controversies in between,
the former first lady's looks have taken us on quite the journey.
Born in Slovenia in 1970, Melania Trump was determined to escape to a better life. After
being told by a street photographer that she had what it took to become a model,
she moved to New York in 1996 in pursuit of the runway and the American dream.
Two years later, she met Donald Trump at a Fashion Week party. He was instantly smitten
and pursued her despite having a date at the time. Though she rejected his advances at first,
she eventually gave him a call and they went on their first date at the popular nightclub Moomba.
During the early days of their courtship, Melania sported dark chestnut locks and quintessentially
'90s pencil brows. She was also far less polished and refined than she would later become,
as she paired her slinky, satin babydoll dress with a simple lace clutch and sandals.
As her relationship with Donald Trump blossomed, there was a noticeable shift
in Melania's wardrobe. In 1999, she began appearing more put together,
as she donned chic little black dresses at glitzy events. Her hair also appeared more controlled,
as she showcased sleek ironed locks. It was still the '90s, after all. That same year,
Melania sat down with ABC News for one of her first high-profile interviews,
as she declared that she could see her new beau being a great president. As she put it,
"He's very smart. He knows how to do [...] business. He would be a great leader."
And when asked about her aspirations as a potential first lady, Melania responded:
"I would be very traditional, like Jackie Kennedy."
Though she had dreams of becoming a first lady, Melania actually split up from Donald Trump in
January 2000 as he was making a bid for the presidency. However, they appeared to be in
the midst of reconciling just weeks later. During this time, Melania's style shifted once again,
appearing less monochromatic and more playful. At the VH1 Vogue Fashion Awards,
she sported messy beach waves and a vibrant maxi dress with a pattern resembling mermaid scales.
During an interview with DuJour, Melania revealed
that the campaign trail drew a wedge between her and Donald. As she put it,
"That was part of it. We were apart for a few months,
not long. We got back together. He was always thinking about it. But he loved what he did,
he had his business. He was not saying 'Now is the time.'"
Having obtained her green card in 2001, Melania Trump was settling into life in the United States
in the early 2000s. Her modeling work was also flourishing. In 2002, she appeared
on the cover of New York Magazine, recreating the iconic "V-J Day in Times Square" photograph
in an homage to the firefighters who risked their lives in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
Melania was also adopting the styles of the era. Fur made a major comeback
at the start of the decade, and she was game for seizing this popular,
albeit controversial trend. At a Victoria's Secret fashion show in 2002,
she gave mob wife vibes in an extremely oversized fur coat layered over a slinky black slip dress.
In January 2005, Melania and Donald Trump tied the knot in Palm Beach at a ceremony
attended by everyone from Shaquille O'Neal to Hillary Clinton. The bride wore a $187,000
Dior dress that took 1,000 hours to assemble, and appeared on the cover of Vogue in a bridal spread.
Following her nuptials, Melania was enjoying A-list status and appeared at the Met Gala
that spring. She stepped out on the red carpet in a black satin Alexander McQueen
gown that hugged her figure. The white train and her updo were both giving off swan vibes.
Years later, this retro updo would become a defining staple of her first lady looks.
Melania Trump has had her fair share of fashion faux pas through the years. In 2008, for example,
she appeared at the premiere of the Sex and the City movie in a white smock dress
that missed the mark. The unflattering number was paired with an oversized beaded necklace,
which was the style at the time. The clunky styling and
inexplicable addition of zebra print heels made this outfit a bit of a dud.
But perhaps Melania had other things on her mind besides fashion.
Two years earlier, she gave birth to her first child, Barron Trump. When she was asked in a
2008 Vanity Fair profile if she was planning on having any more children, she responded,
"I already have two."
*rimshot*
By 2010, Melania Trump's wardrobe had shifted to the graceful aesthetic that
has since become her signature. While attending that year's ACE Awards, she rocked a sparkly,
figure-hugging black gown and a vintage updo, while accessorizing with diamond jewelry.
Also that year, Melania sat down with New York Magazine to discuss her favorite Big
Apple pastimes. Ironically enough, she revealed that she and her husband had recently seen Green
Day's American Idiot musical on Broadway and thoroughly enjoyed it. The musical and
the album that it's based on were written as a protest against former president George W. Bush,
and was later tweaked to reflect the Trump administration. It was
an unusual admission from the future first lady, considering that Donald
had changed his political allegiance from Democratic to Republican the previous year.
By 2016, Donald Trump's presidential bid was underway and Melania was gaining significant
media attention for her fashion. Throughout her husband's campaign,
she was decked out in elegant attire, signifying a
noteworthy shift in her style from snazzy New Yorker-about-town to demure politician's wife.
At the Republican National Convention, for example, she donned a white shift dress with
extravagant puff sleeves. The ensemble, which Melania put together without the
help of a stylist, was made by Serbian designer Roksanda Ilincic. As Beth Dincuff Charleston,
a professor of fashion history and expert on first lady style, explained to Elle,
"Her style has matured. I think it's gotten a little more in line with what we think of
as first lady style. I don't think we'll ever see her in those babydoll dresses she used to wear."
"If I'm honored to serve as first lady,
I will use that wonderful privilege to try to help people in our country."
However, Melania has denied that she had altered her fashion sense to suit
first lady sensibilities. As she insisted to Elle,
"My style has stayed pretty consistent over the
years. I always wear what I like and what is appropriate for the occasion."
In January 2017, Donald Trump was sworn in as president. While his inauguration speech
proved to be controversial, his wife was praised for her stunning outfit. Its pastel
softness was deemed a welcome contrast to the abrasiveness of the red MAGA hats.
Melania channeled Jackie Kennedy in a duck egg blue suit with matching gloves and another updo.
She also showcased one of the most iconic names in American fashion for this inauguration look:
Ralph Lauren. But unlike Jackie O, who was a devoted career girl,
Melania appeared very much the dutiful wife to her presidential husband.
Melania later turned heads in her inaugural gown: a cream,
off-the-shoulder number by Hervé Pierre. As Pierre divulged to The New York Times,
"She didn't want a big ball gown, she wanted something sleek, ivory,
vanilla. It had to be really, really right because it was going to be part of history."
In 2018, Melania Trump launched the "Be Best" campaign to educate children on the
state of the world. But soon, her compassion for children was called into question due to
some controversial style choices. That year, President Trump was facing widespread criticism
due to the detainment of child migrants. It certainly didn't help when Melania wore a
military-style Zara jacket emblazoned with the words "I really don't care,
do u?" while visiting children at a detention center in Texas. Her attire was criticized
as heartless by human rights organizations and opponents of the Trump administration.
In an interview with ABC News, Melania confirmed that she donned the jacket to send a message,
though not necessarily one that people thought. As she put it,
"It's obvious I didn't wear the jacket for the children. I wore
the jacket to go on the plane and off the plane [...] After the visit,
I put it back on because I see how [the] media got obsessed about it."
"And it was for the people and for the left-wing media who are criticizing me."
According to Katie Rogers' 2024 book American Woman: The Transformation of the Modern First
Lady, from Hillary Clinton to Jill Biden, Melania actually wore the jacket to send a message to
her stepdaughter Ivanka, as the two of them were reportedly locked in a perpetual power struggle.
As her time as first lady came to an end, Melania Trump's style became increasingly
traditionalist. While giving a speech at the 2020 Republican National Convention
to advocate for her husband's re-election, she looked unusually austere in a military
green suit. But in an unusual move, and in stark contrast to her stoic appearance,
she spoke about the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I know many people are anxious and some feel helpless. I want you to know you are not alone."
Stylist Naina Singla told Express that Melania had become noticeably more conservative since
entering the White House and that this was reflected in her outfits. As Singla explained,
"She used to wear more form fitting dresses, baby doll dresses, plunging necklines, and miniskirts.
But now we would not see her wearing such styles. She dropped her hemline since becoming the First
Lady and she wears more pants and pant suits. Her look is more polished and professional."
By 2021, Melania Trump was out of the White House and back to civilian life. Though she
left her post with one of the worst popularity ratings of any first lady in recent history,
her wardrobe largely evaded criticism, with the notable exception of the green
Zara jacket. Having reportedly spent over $1 million on clothing during her tenure,
she left an indelible legacy of first lady looks. The online magazine Slate
even argued that her wardrobe was the best thing about the Trump presidency.
In the summer of 2021, Melania was snapped during an outing with her son Barron. They were both
wearing jeans and carrying handbags as they headed out of Trump Tower. While not as playful as her
babydoll ensembles, she appeared far less austere in a casual shirt and jeans combo.
In the years that have followed her first lady stint, Melania Trump has been showcasing her
flair for understated street style in the midst of personal turmoil. In 2023,
she looked solemn as she headed to Trump Tower following her husband's
37-count indictment pertaining to the storage of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
Despite these setbacks, Melania still made sure to make an impression with
her outfit. Styling a black sweater over a tan midi skirt,
and accessorized with two-tone ballet flats and a classic Chanel purse,
she embodied old-money Manhattanite chic as she breezed through the city. It was the sort of
outfit that wouldn't have looked out of place on an old-school influencer attending Fashion Week.
Melania Trump has been keeping a notable distance from her husband on the 2024 campaign trail,
though she did make a surprise appearance at a polling station in Palm Beach,
Florida in March. She continued to push the fashion envelope by wearing an Alexander McQueen
white shirt dress with a large graphic floral motif. It reportedly cost a princely $2,690.
It was a bold and unconventional outfit for the often-conservatively dressed Melania.
Some observers speculated that her choice of attire carried a hidden meaning by signifying
a transition away from her guarded public persona. Meanwhile, The Telegraph argued
that she was simply keeping up with trends, and the floral number was her way of embracing the
so-called "Florida Flash" aesthetic, as seen on the Apple TV+ show Palm Royale.