Ivanka Trump has been a presence on the fashion scene, modeling as a teen and making headlines
with her style. But, of course, Trump has certainly faced a good deal of criticism,
especially when it comes to her clothes. Here are the most inappropriate outfits worn by
Ivanka Trump.
Most people knew that Donald Trump's kids would play a part in his administration, but
few could have seen this coming. Ivanka Trump stood in for the president during part of
the 2017 G-20 summit, and she caught a lot of flak for it.
Critics pointed to two issues: One, it's inappropriate for a president's unqualified daughter to
sit in on a meeting with world leaders. Two, her outfit of choice did not match the moment.
Noting the big bows on her sleeves, Joan Walsh of MSNBC's The Nation broke down Trump's dress
and what it said about the political choice on her part. Walsh said,
"It can be dangerous to comment on what women wear — but the fact that she sat in for
her father in a dress that was so incredibly ornamental was such a contradiction in terms.
[...] That's not a dress that's made for work. That's not a dress that's made to go out in
the world and make a difference."
Walsh concluded that the dress showed off Trump's girliness, but failed to meet the
moment. Maybe she should have thought this one through more carefully.
Ivanka Trump is a big fan of stiletto heels. So much so, that she has opted for the footwear
on a number of occasions where flats would have been far more appropriate. For example,
Trump was spotted in June 2018 walking towards Marine One with her family in an outfit that
was really not suited for the occasion.
What was she wearing? A pair of $1,500 wide leg pants from Oscar de la Renta and towering
heels. What made matters worse is that as she walked across the White House lawn, Trump's
long-legged pants dragged in the grass and her shoes most likely sank down into the ground.
Trump looked very put together, but it should also be noted that she was on her way to Camp
David, the president's rugged outdoor escape located in the mountains. It seems like maybe
sneakers and a trusty pair of jeans might have served the first daughter better in this
situation — yes, the look wouldn't have been nearly as glamorous, but when was the
last time you headed to the mountains in four-inch heels?
One of Donald Trump's slogans he has championed while in office was "Buy American and hire
American." A good sentiment, in theory, but when he addressed Congress for the first time
in his presidency, his daughter's clothes did most of the talking. President Trump said
at the time,
"Currently when we ship products out of America, many other countries make us pay very high
tariffs and taxes. But when foreign companies ship their products into America we charge
them nothing or almost nothing."
Well, his daughter certainly did not get the memo about buying American products made in
America, because, in a complete contradiction to her father's messaging, Ivanka Trump wore
a fuchsia pink fitted dress from Roland Mouret, a French designer. A Roland Mouret spokesperson
confirmed to The Independent that the dress in question set the first daughter back nearly
19-hundred dollars and was not only designed by a Frenchman, but was produced in the United
Kingdom. We'll let this messaging speak for itself.
We'll be the first to admit that we love a cute sundress. When it's summer and it's a
million degrees outside, you can't go wrong with a flowing sundress. That is, unless,
you are the first daughter and political adviser to the president.
Ivanka Trump came under some serious scrutiny after attending a picnic hosted on the South
Lawn of the White House solely because of the dress she chose for the occasion. She
was seen engaging with her children and chatting with Congressional members, and was wearing
an off-the-shoulder dress from Reformation. Her shoulders were showing, and as a result,
social media users had a field day.
Some said that the look was "inappropriate" and left their criticism at that, while other
more conservative critics slammed her for being "half naked." Still others jumped to
her defense and said that the look was beautiful, but was better suited for date night rather
than engaging with politicians.
Here's an interesting criticism — Ivanka Trump has come under fire since the beginning
of the coronavirus pandemic not only because of her outfit choices, but because of the
color she has chosen to wear. As noted by the Guardian, Trump almost exclusively wore
white in public in the Spring and early Summer of 2020. This was when she made headlines
for posing with a can of Goya black beans while wearing white, you'll recall.
"I'm not sure if Ivanka's trying to promote Goya or she's auditioning to be a model on
The Price is Right."
As the Guardian put it,
"Labour Day dress codes aside, she has conjured up an image of blow-dried, country club, moneyed
power."
The criticism continued, assessing that Trump's consistent choice represented, quote, "the
sort of privilege that has enabled people like her to move through the ranks without
catching the virus."
In September 2020, Ivanka wore white once again at the presidential debate in Cleveland.
And once again, the outfit cost a small fortune, with the Daily Mail reporting that Ivanka
spent at least $7,900 dollars on her debate day, head-to-toe look. It's fair to say the
price tag on Ivanka's outfit caused a stir at the debate, as one commenter tweeted,
"Nice to see daddy's tax avoidance isn't hindering Ivanka's shopping."
It's also worth noting that for decades, wearing white in the arena of politics has been seen
as a nod to the suffragists, who wore all white to bolster their media coverage while
fighting for women's right to vote.
We don't want to dare think about how nervous we would be to attend a state banquet with
the Queen of England, let alone what we would wear to such an occasion. But that was not
the case for Ivanka Trump, who went to a state dinner in the United Kingdom in a $11,600
pastel blue dress with floral detailing from designer Carolina Herrera.
As noted by the Daily Mail, the tie details on the dress and the bodice indicative of
a button-down shirt were far too casual for an event with the queen. Etiquette expert
William Hanson even weighed in on Trump's choice, saying,
"Ivanka Trump's look was perfect... for an upper east side corporate garden party."
He also pointed out Trump's choice not to wear gloves, a protocol practiced by most
royal women. This look, albeit beautiful, was not the right dress for the occasion.
The bulk of Ivanka Trump's most inappropriate outfits can be chalked up to being out of
touch with the situation at hand, and that was certainly the case when she attended an
event at the White House in June 2018. While celebrating the six-month anniversary of her
father's Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Trump caused a stir, as always, with her choice of outfit.
So what was she wearing and why did it stir things up? She opted for a $2,110 dress from
designer Emilia Wickstead, and coordinated the look with a Chanel handbag and black stiletto
heels, as reported by Express. Trump looked beautiful, there's no doubt about it, but
the dress was so out of touch for the cause she was trying to champion.
American working families and lower class households make on average $25,624 a year,
according to 2016 data, as reported by CNBC. The average rent in the United States is $1,468
— so while Trump looked classy and put together for the occasion, and for a later appearance
on Fox Business, she maybe should've picked an outfit that didn't cost more than what
most people pay to keep a roof over their heads every month.
"I don't think most Americans, in their heart, want to be given something."
The devil is in the details, as they say, and once accessory that Ivanka Trump wore
in 2016 came with some serious backlash. As noted by PopSugar, Trump wore a $10,800 gold
bracelet from her own jewelry collection while appearing with the Trump family on a 2016
episode of 60 Minutes. Trump's brand then sent out press releases to journalists, informing
them that her bracelet was immediately available for purchase.
This is a big deal for a number of reasons, and Eric Lipton of the New York Times pointed
out the conflict of interest on Twitter. He tweeted,
"White House as QVC. It has started."
Another Twitter user posted,
"Nothing says 'I'm not an elitist; I represent the average American' like a $10k+ 'favorite'
bracelet."
While another wrote,
"Wonder how many supporters could afford a $10,000 bracelet."
It's not known whether Ivanka was aware of the email in question, but that didn't stop
criticism that she was allegedly trying to profit from the coverage of the election.
Shifting the blame on a "well-intentioned marketing employee," the jewelry company's
president, Abigail Klem, stated in part to NBC News,
"We are proactively discussing new policies and procedures with all of our partners going
forward."
This wasn't the first time that Ivanka had been caught up in such a controversy. At the
Republican National Convention earlier that same year, she wore a white floral outfit
from her own fashion line.
Believe it or not, Ivanka Trump has been spotted in the same outfit on multiple occasions,
but when she opted to wear this ensemble again for a day's work, it got her in some hot water.
As noted by the Daily Mail, Trump wore a $745 blouse and $1,320 white pleated skirt from
fashion designer Emilia Wickstead for a day in the White House, and she matched the look
with a quilted face mask and a $4,700 Chanel handbag.
On this day in particular, Trump launched a White House campaign encouraging people
to take part in vocational training to help combat unemployment caused by the coronavirus
pandemic. The campaign, titled Find Something New, may have been a good idea in theory.
But given Trump's pricey outfit and the job she has due, in part, to her father being
the president, it was not an appropriate look for her at all. Critics slammed her for being
insensitive and out of touch.
Ivanka Trump probably should have stood in front of a fan to test the structural integrity
of the dress she chose while on a trip in South America in September 2019. Trump was
on the trip to promote women's economic empowerment, but her intentions were outshone by the dramatic
sleeves of her dress.
While standing for photos with the Colombian Vice President and Minister of National Defense,
a gust of wind blew and Trump's sleeves got carried along for the ride — they blew up
all the way into her face and almost hit the shoulders of the dignitaries standing next
to her.
Author Molly Jong-Fast was quick to point out the inappropriate fashion mishap, tweeting,
"The dress that launched a thousand gardening jokes."
The lesson here is to make sure that your dress, your top, your scarf — whatever the
outfit option — is weather-proof before an international photo op.
The outfits worn by women in politics are subject to far more scrutiny than their male
counterparts, and unfairly so. But the political stage is also a place of seniority, professionalism,
and leadership, and unfortunately, this bubblegum pink outfit worn by Ivanka Trump in 2017 did
not meet the moment.
As noted by Yahoo! News, Trump wore a pink jacket and miniskirt from designer Miu Miu
while taking the podium at the World Assembly for Women in Tokyo, Japan. The event was just
as much of a big deal as it sounds. Trump was introduced to the audience by Japan's
Prime Minister, and went on to speak to the conference about her initiative of women's
economic empowerment and the harassment that women face in the workplace.
But given the inappropriate length of the skirt that she chose for such an occasion,
the seriousness of Trump's words were the second thing people were focusing on. One
Twitter user wrote,
"Ivanka, what on earth are you wearing?! How can you wear a pink skirt so SHORT? You're
a conservative woman in a conservative country!!!"
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