MELANIA TRUMP AND MICHELLE OBAMA FLOTUS STYLE
Melania Trump is First Lady
On November 9th I awoke and shook my head , hoping that I had just woken from a bad dream . It wasn't a dream and Donald Trump was the next president of the United States,I cried. The whole world had been fixated as a misogynistic bully whined and ranted his way to the Whitehouse. While the world worried for its future , the bully and his trophy wife started a four-year term as President and First Lady.
First Lady Style
The position of first lady doesn't really have a job description. Many of the 20 th and 21 st century first ladies have adopted causes to support. While they busied themselves with the arts , wars on drugs, highway beautification and other causes we looked at the first lady for her style.
Since I'm interested in fashion and style, I look at first ladies through that lens. While I am probably older than most of you , I also have studied fashion history. Yet I 'm not interested in dissecting the style of Abigail Adams or writing a thesis on the clothing of Mary Todd Lincoln. The first ladies style that I want to examine is the differences between the most current first ladies Melania Trump and Michelle Obama.
Melania Trump & Michelle Obama All Politics Aside
Its hard not to insert politics into this discussion on style .I am dealing with two political figures .Therefore let me make it abundantly clear I in no way want this article to be an endorsement of Melania Trump or Donald Trump. Since I believe I have made my views clear. Donald Trump is a horrible person. Girl I don't mince my words when it comes to issues concerning human rights. Through contamination Melania Trump is as guilty as her despicable husband. Therefore the fact that this vapid ex-model has access to a fortune to dress herself does not go unnoticed. I'm writing this post because it is topical and it interests me. So bear with me gentlewomen .While I'm interested in examining First Lady style , does not mean I am impartial politically . Therefore if you by rare chance are a Trump supporter who has stumbled upon this post please open your mind. As an out proud gay man who stands for the right of all people I can't excuse the ignorance of Donald Trump and his followers.
Michelle Obama Flotus Style.
All things considered it may be hard to compare Michelle Obama who was flotus for 8 years to Melania Trump whose tenure is only 4 months. However it is true that Melania Trump has been a public figure for many years.
Michelle Obama's style developed over her time in the Whitehouse. What I will miss about seeing her style is her constant support of American designers. She engaged with up and coming artists, like Brandon Maxwell who she wore to the state dinner in Singapore. Maxwell is known as the stylist for Lady Gaga. No doubt we didn't see Ms Obama clad in a meat dress , but her intention was to encourage and support the creative community.
In the same way every outfit choice Michelle makes tells a story. Michelle rotates between her favorite London fashion houses when she's in the U.K. and she wore a Narciso Rodriguez dress to meet with Melania Trump for the first time. First and foremost Rodriguez is a Cuban-American designer who had a strong immigrant success story. Her wardrobe tells the story that may not always need to be voiced
Michelle Tells Her Story
Ultimately Michelle carefully uses her clothing to tell a story or to convey a mood. Arguably she may feel forced by the media and society to become more fashion conscious but she does succeed. Throughout her period in the Whitehouse Michelle mixed high and low. She wore a J.Crew studded belt with a Thom Browne plaid coat because it was fun and it felt right, She was discovering what she liked.
In conclusion once she did, she selected designs that did all the right things :they flattered her body by showing off her toned arms or they celebrated the holiday with color and tone. They purposefully showed support for certain cultures or countries . Michelle's outfits were not always perfect. More over they were real clothes, lived in , mothered in and something women could relate to. Hence her outfits were well thought out ,brave , bold and irrefutably .American.
Melania Trump Style
Melania Trump has been in the public eye for many years. Introduced to me when CBS's Lesley Stahl stared her down during the Trump family interview. Stahl ,warning her that first ladies have been famously scrutinized and that they must present themselves "with not a hair out of place," Melania didn't bat an eyelash. Throughout the entirety of her husband's campaign, Melania wore a lineup of sophisticated looks that are nothing short of appropriate. They are what you'd call modern FLOTUS attire: well-tailored, modest, sleek, but with a bold twist thanks to an ultrasaturated color or a trendy sleeve Her inauguration wardrobe was no different.
Melania Trump No Story Here
Therefore these pieces got her noticed; some of those pieces sold out instantly, right after she debuted them. Melania possesses the allure of a first lady. It might even be more uniquely exciting that Melania has shopped for a handful of these looks herself. Melania Trump counts covetable designers like Roksanda, Gucci, and Antonio Berardi as her favorites. Time will tell whether fashion houses begin to dress her more- Herve` Pierre dressed Melania trump for the Inaugural ball. In my opinion whether you are Democrat or Republican, it is hard to knock her elegant gown.
The narrative of Michelle Obama's wardrobe speaks to her strong political convictions and ideology . For instance the care taken to promote American, consider the culture of her hosts , and the comfort of her guests. At the same time Melania Trump has reflected no strong ideology . Like her husband they are much less concerned with promoting political ideals. Melania wears clothing like a model , with no evident affiliation to the clothes. Therefore this runway look tells us nothing of her beliefs , or character. While appearing beautiful and polished these her clothes have fashion sense , but no personal style. Therefore it is hard to nail down Melania . She appears more like a styled persona than a person with style.
Melania Trump in First Lady Style
McQueen
Melania Trump in an Alxeander McQueen ,day dress.
Also by McQueen this day dress is younger and has a more daring style.
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Farfetch $2165
Michael Kors
This Michael Kors jacket is embroidered with hundreds of crystals although nice not appropriate for the address to Congress.
A much more appropriate blazer without the crystals also by Michael Kors
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Italist $365
Givenchy
Melania Trump in Givenchy red caped dress .
This is the same red dress by Givenchy, perfect day dress , perhaps styled with pumps and not flats
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Farfetch $2095
Mugler
Melania Trump wearing a Mugler dress with cutout and high slit
From the same collection this Mugler dress has more definition with the black detailing.
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Farfetch $3710
Roksanda
The Roksanda dress worn by Melania at GOP convention , sold out within an hour of her speech.
This is the same Roksanda dress in a lovely salmon shade.
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Farfetch $1515
First Lady Melania Trump wore a Simone Rocha white dress belted and sleeveless
This is the Simone Rocha broderie anglaise dress, shown here.
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Farfetch $1570