The real reason Melania Trump wore THAT inauguration hat, its extraordinary backstory and why fashion insiders were left gasping, revealed by JANE TIPPETT
By JANE MARGUERITE TIPPETT
Published: 15:54 EST, 20 January 2025 | Updated: 16:55 EST, 20 January 2025
The powder-blue, pale suit dress that Melania Trump wore for her husband's first inauguration – a custom design by Ralph Lauren – drew immediate comparisons to Jackie Kennedy.
Her hair, swept up loosely into a decidedly 1960s chignon, framed a smiling face as she evoked, through fashion, a golden age of political idealism.
This time round, things were decidedly more nuanced.
Opting for a more somber note, Melania cloaked herself in a custom navy silk wool coat dress – coordinating pencil skirt and ivory silk crepe blouse – all of which, to the surprise of many fashion watchers, had been hand sewn in New York City by the niche, but far from cut-price, American designer Adam Lippes.
Melania's boater – by another American designer, Eric Javits – completed the striking ensemble.
Not since Hilary Clinton, in 1993, has a First Lady opted for an inauguration-day hat, adding not only a touch of the theatrical to Melania's ensemble but almost entirely obscuring her eyes.
For a woman known for her love of sunglasses, perhaps this was the next-best choice on a day when the entire world would be watching her.
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