Ivanka Trump was a fashion model and a fashion designer before she was First
Daughter. But when her father began involving himself in politics,
the context surrounding Ivanka's clothes shifted and made way for several fashion faux pas.
Here are some of Ivanka's most inappropriate outfits ever.
After Donald Trump was confirmed as the Republican nominee for president in 2016, Ivanka Trump
seized her Republican National Convention appearance as an opportunity to publicize
her own business interests while touching on American labor laws and women in the workforce.
Capitalizing on her own work, Ivanka wore the baby pink "Ivanka Trump
Sleeveless Studded Sheath Dress" from her fashion line. The following day,
a tweet was posted on her verified Twitter account that read,
"Shop Ivanka's look from her #RNC speech."
This was followed by a link to the dress on the Macy's website. It was an affiliate link,
which indicated Ivanka could have earned additional commission from any purchases
made. The $138 dress promptly sold out at both Macy's and Nordstrom.
Some saw the outfit choice and the subsequent tweet as shameless self-promotion. And despite
Ivanka's mention of American labor, the Macy's site listed her dress as "imported."
In November 2016, four months after the RNC controversy, Ivanka Trump wore a
$10,800 "Metropolis Diamond Bangle" from her jewelry line in an appearance
on 60 Minutes alongside her family. When host Lesley Stahl asked whether Donald
Trump's polarizing campaign had negatively impacted the Trump brand, Ivanka responded,
"I don't think it matters.
This is so much more important. And more serious [...] That's the focus."
Ivanka's decision to wear the bracelet was not particularly controversial in itself,
but the marketing tactics that followed were. After the interview aired, Monica Marder, former
vice president of sales for Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry, sent out a "style alert" press release to
journalists that stated Ivanka's "favorite bangle" was available to buy, asking recipients to, quote,
"please share this with your clients." New York Times reporter Eric Lipton tweeted in response
"White House as QVC. It has started."
The next day, Abigail Klem, the former president of the Ivanka Trump brand,
told NBC News that the "style alert" email, quote, "was sent by a well-intentioned marketing
employee [...] who, like many of us, is still making adjustments post-election."
In January 2017, Ivanka Trump posted a photo on Twitter of herself wearing an iridescent
silver gown two days after Donald Trump had announced his "Muslim ban" executive order.
Ivanka's dress, which was designed by Carolina Herrera and cost $5,000,
drew criticism because it highlighted Ivanka's lavish lifestyle at a time
when racism and human rights were central to the cultural conversation.
When the Trump administration came under fire for the separation of children from
their parents at the Mexican border in 2018, photos circulated of immigrant kids
using sheets of silver foil as blankets. The photo of Ivanka's silver dress resurfaced,
again as a reflection of the real disparity between those in power and those affected
by their policies. Multiple Twitter users, including comedian and writer Orli Matlow,
posted split-screen photos of Ivanka's dress and the detained immigrant children. Matlow wrote,
"Who wore it better: Children detained in McAllen, Texas or Ivanka Trump."
"Well, immigration is not part of my portfolio, obviously."
In February 2017, Donald Trump gave his first address to Congress. The speech pushed the
slogan "Buy American, Hire American" and focused on encouraging Americans to buy American products.
Ivanka Trump did not appear to have known the contents of the speech in advance,
because she wore a fuchsia cocktail dress by French designer Roland Mouret to the event.
A representative for the designer told the Independent that the dress
cost $1,868 and was made in the United Kingdom. What would Donald think?
"So you do disagree with him from time to time?...Oh, frequently. And he knows it."
Many onlookers pointed out the irony and hypocrisy of Ivanka's dress,
given her father's message. Members of the public also questioned why the
First Daughter was not treated the same as former First Lady Michelle Obama,
noting the off-the-shoulder cut of Ivanka's dress. One Twitter user wrote,
"Remember all that crap about Michelle Obama showing her arms and if it was appropriate?
Well, behold Ivanka and her shoulders."
"Black tie" events indicate a formal dress code, but the lesser-known
"white tie" dress code is even fancier, and is associated with the so-called
"full evening dress" seen at state and royal occasions.
During the Trump family's state visit to the United Kingdom in June 2019,
they attended a banquet at Buckingham Palace with the Queen that was certainly a "white tie affair."
Ivanka Trump wore an embellished, collared, cornflower blue dress by Carolina Herrera,
which provoked commentary on Twitter for being too casual for white tie.
One of the platform's users wrote.
"Ivanka looks like she's wearing a denim dress that she personally bedazzled."
In 2018, Ivanka Trump reportedly wore this cozy, floral-print jacket tied with a sash to work in
Washington, D.C. According to the Daily Mail, the coat was designed by Rebecca Taylor and cost $895.
Heather Tooley commented at the time in an article for Inquistr, writing,
"It'll be interesting to see if Ivanka Trump will
make pajama-like styles a trend after wearing the bathrobe coat."
Trend or not, it wasn't the last time Ivanka wore what looked like a housecoat outside of
the house. In October 2019, she posted a photo to Instagram of her visit to a childcare facility
on the campus of a community college in Kansas City, Missouri. The photo showed Ivanka wearing a
white wrap dress with a large sash, a dress she also wore at the White House in January 2020.
Some found this to be an odd choice for visiting children. One Twitter user wrote,
"Is she having a sleepover with these kids?
Can't think of another reason she would be in her bathrobe."
Another wrote,
"Ivanka, are you wearing a terry cloth bathrobe? Does it have a Trump logo on the front?"
If there's one pattern that summed up the trends of 2020, it would be the red, spiky,
angry spheres of coronavirus. As the virus began to spread stateside at the beginning of 2020,
Ivanka Trump took a pre-lockdown trip to India and posed with a smile in front of the Taj Mahal.
She captioned the snap on Instagram and Twitter on February 24th, writing,
"The grandeur and beauty of the Taj Mahal is awe inspiring!"
She wore a Proenza Schouler dress splattered with striking crimson flowers, which,
to the horror and delight of some Twitter users,
resembled the COVID-19 virus. Others, meanwhile, simply gave Ivanka props for re-wearing the dress,
which she had previously worn during a September 2019 visit to Argentina.
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