San Francisco Frontiers - Melania Trump brings steely fashion game back to Washington

Wearing a long navy coat and matching wide-brimmed hat -- which shielded her eyes in most photos and hindered her commander-in-chief husband's attempts to give her a peck before his swearing-in -- Melania's fit drew snark on social media and a flurry of comparisons to a 1980s video game character.

"Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?" quipped the internet, referring to the franchise that spun off into a popular 1990s geography game show for kids, and featured a criminal mastermind dressed in a long, carmine trench coat and eye-obscuring fedora.

Melania Trump's coat and skirt were silk wool Adam Lippes, an independent American designer based in New York, an ensemble paired with an ivory blouse tightly wrapped at the Slovenian-born former model's neck.

"The tradition of the presidential inauguration embodies the beauty of American democracy and today we had the honor to dress our first lady, Mrs. Melania Trump," said Lippes in a statement that emphasized American manufacturing over political ideology.

"Mrs. Trump's outfit was created by some of America's finest craftsmen and I take great pride in showing such work to the world."

The hat was by New York milliner Eric Javits.

"She cut the figure of a mafia widow or high-ranking member of an obscure religious order, and a bit of 'My Fair Lady,' wrote Rachel Tashjian, style critic for The Washington Post.

- 'Armor' -

American first ladies don't get much of a voice -- but their sartorial choices are broadcast to the world and scrutinized for subtext and statements.

The late Rosalynn Carter, for example, drew strong reactions by wearing a dress she had already worn -- gasp! -- when her husband Jimmy was inaugurated in 1977.

The point was to show empathy for the economic struggles of Americans -- but sometimes what the people really want is aspirational glamour.

In recent years first ladies have routinely turned to independent designers for inaugural events: in 2021, Jill Biden wore a sparkling blue coat-and-dress combo by Markarian, a small brand in New York.

Michelle Obama made waves in 2009 in a lemon-colored outfit by Isabel Toledo, wearing Thom Browne at her husband's second swearing-in. She wore gowns by Jason Wu to both series of inaugural balls.

Melania Trump, for her part, channeled Jackie Kennedy to kick off her first turn in the White House, wearing Ralph Lauren -- a heritage-brand favorite on both sides of the political aisle -- to the daytime events in 2017.

She swapped her powder-blue cashmere dress and matching asymmetrical bolero jacket with opera gloves for a silk crepe gown by Herve Pierre that year, both looks that signaled a sense of buoyancy as she began her new role as a political wife.

Her shadowy-chic 2025 look marks a sharp departure as she enters tenure two.

"For her second round as first lady, the fashion game -- the tool she brandishes most often and most forcefully, even if the public sometimes struggles to divine her sartorial messages -- is likely to be one of steely, precise armor, of clothes with brash and exacting tailoring," wrote the Post's Tashjian.

"For the past year, she has worn a wardrobe of mostly black, but this does not seem intended to make her disappear into the background."

D.Parker--SFF