Melania Trump’s fashion choices: A departure from First Lady traditions?

US First Lady Melania Trump’s fashion choices have consistently been a subject of discussion, especially in the context of the U.S. First Lady’s traditional role in diplomatic dressing.

Throughout history, First Ladies have used fashion to make statements of unity, pride, and support for their own country. But Melania is different from the previous First Ladies. While the wives of heads of state or royals typically wear designers from their home nation or the host nation they’re visiting to honour local culture and foster goodwill, Melania does not necessarily follow suit.

What Melania wore to the Pope’s funeral

First Lady Melania Trump recently traveled to Rome, Italy, for Pope Francis’s funeral. For that, she opted for a mix of high-end brands including Dolce & Gabbana, Burberry, and Hermès, of which Dolce & Gabbana is the only Italian brand.

Departing from the White House, she wore a pair of black acetate sunglasses, likely by Saint Laurent, paired with a double-breasted cotton drill trench coat from Dolce & Gabbana’s Spring/Summer 2025 collection, priced at $3,745. She completed the look with Roger Vivier’s Gommettine Ballerina flats in black leather, featuring the brand’s signature resin buckle, retailing at $750. Her most luxurious accessory was a Hermès Kelly bag with gold hardware, valued at $36,000, pulled from her personal collection.

What did the other First Ladies wear at notable events?

The contrast is more notable when we look at the choices of other First Ladies, such as Michelle Obama. Throughout her tenure, Michelle Obama used fashion to champion American designers, especially the contributions of small immigrant designers. For instance, she has often worn the creations of Isabel Toledo and Narciso Rodriguez to promote independent immigrant designers, making a statement with her clothing.

Another notable example of how Obama combined culture and couture was when she chose Korean-American fashion designer Doo-Ri Chung to create her outfit for the 2011 State dinner for South Korea. Moreover, at state dinners, Michelle Obama chose to wear dresses by designers who represented the country being honored. A great example is when she wore an Atelier Versace gown as a nod to Italy, for her final state dinner with Italy’s Prime Minister.

Melania, by contrast, has stuck to big labels regardless of the occasion, even buying things from her favourite luxury labels for major events. This unusual approach has definitely marked a shift from what previous First Ladies, and even royals like Kate Middleton, have done when it comes to expressing their views through fashion.