Some of the fashion blogs and fashion-ID Twitter accounts I follow refuse to cover Melania Trump and Kellyanne Conway’s fashion choices on principle. While I know that Melania’s clothing choices aren’t the most pressing concern, we are a gossip blog and we like talking about fashion, so I’ve always covered Melania’s fashion out of habit. I did that with Michelle Obama too, and Melania is sort of our FLOTUS now, so why not? Plus, Melania’s dress at last night’s Joint Session was apparently one of the most-tweeted-about moments of the evening.
So for her husband’s first (and hopefully last) address to a joint session, Melania chose an American designer, Michael Kors. So much for all of those American designers saying they wouldn’t dress Melania, right? In the past two months, Melania has been transitioning into wearing more American designers (Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein) and now I’m feeling a bit “Et tu, Michael Kors?” This is actually not a dress, it’s a two-piece suit in sparkly black, because she’s mourning for America but WITH SPARKLES. The jacket retails for $4,995 and the skirt retails for $4,595. She dropped more than nine grand on her fashion debut at a joint session. Sure.
As for Ivanka Trump, our co-FLOTUS, she wore a $3000 Roland Mouret look and I’m absolutely positive this was meant as a cocktail dress, not as a professional look. As in, Ivanka looked like she was about to attend a party, not a joint session of Congress.
Getting ready to leave The White House with @realdonaldtrump as he prepares to address Congress #JointSession pic.twitter.com/vlR1wPHGkK
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) March 1, 2017
And finally, Democratic women in Congress decided to coordinate and there was a sea of Suffragette-white.
Keep your eye out tonight as Democratic #WomenWearWhite in support of women’s rights during the #JointSession! pic.twitter.com/4l4TUc79RQ
— Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) February 28, 2017
Tonight, our Democratic #WomenWearWhite in support of women's rights — in spite of a @POTUS who doesn't! pic.twitter.com/kKJpfV5iUE
— Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) February 28, 2017
Photos courtesy of Getty.
I hate this family so much.
The so-called First Family, a/k/a the Grifters in Chief.
Me, too. But HONKS for the Democratic women in Congress.
Me too and I am Canadian. I shudder for your country and people. I keep thinking when will it end and something be better.
Same here from Australia, sarri. And we are worried about our Prime Minister showing himself to be a tool, and a weak one at that… Poor America. I do love Kaiser’s comment, though: “…she’s mourning for America but WITH SPARKLES.”
Both Trump women were inappropriately dressed. Those outfits were more appropriate for a cocktail party. And Ivanka’s picture is just tacky.
Ivanka’s bra strap is unnecessary.
Ivanka is unnecessary.
Yes-wtf was that dress? It’s like the RNC-they both wear outfits you’d wear to a cocktail party.
So tacky, especially seated next to the Navy SEAL’s widow.
At this point, on a purely aesthetic basis, I feel like the Beverly Hillbillies would do a better job in the White House.
The minute these two walked in I was like, WTF? Now I feel even more disgusted at the cost of M’s dress (not that Ivanka’s was cheap, but $9.5K – are you kidding me?). Wrong, wrong, wrong.
Did Michael Kors fixed this to her or she bought herself and let everyone know the brand? Cause maybe he didn’t actually dressed her.
I wondered that, too. I can’t imagine Kors wanting to dress her.
Michael Kors is and has always been a copyright infringing whore. 9K for that bedazzled mess? Who cares if she bought it or he furnished it. It’s awful & inappropriate.
Just like the entire first family
9,000 dollars? I saw something very similar at Burlington Coat Factory.
Ivanka could be wearing pasties with bedroom slippers and the hypocrisy would still be like “wha? oh, the feminists are so sensitive, very snowflake”. The GOP media outlets vilified Michelle Obama for wearing a sleeveless sheath dress but KAC can hang out on the white house couch like its a mechanical bull in a bar and the left wing media is to blame….my head explodes, theyre despicable. Love the womens white!!
Apropos of nothing else, that’s a great outfit on Melania (note: it’s also a year of mortgage payments for my family). Ivanka looks more like a woman about to stand around sipping wine and chatting up People who can Do Things for Her. On the upside, though, she’s not curled up on a couch with her shoes off, scrolling through phone pix…..
It looked to me in one angle that Skelator did NOT take her shoes off – THAT would have been INAPPROPRIATE!
Well, she *was* an immigrant, Georgia. So you may be right!
Note: I threw this in the wrong place – was responding to your observation that my grandmother would have had other reasons to take after KAC with an ash tray!
kac’s shoes were not off. They were digging into the couch back.
Oy. She kept her shoes on? On that COUCH??? My grandmother would have beaten her with an ashtray.
Ha! I am sure that would not be the only reason your grandmother could find to take that action with kac! 8)
The comments I’ve seen else where about Melania’s outfit r scathing. People saying that she looked lovely in her 10k outfit while they struggle to survive. Trump has always loved to flaunt his wealth being President is only making him and awful family worse.
As for speech, I think he only stuck to the script as he can’t talk off the cuff for a full hour but couldn’t wait to get on twitter to showboat.
I think he’s always gone further than flaunt it. If I remember correctly, he’s said that his wealth is an indicator of how much he is worth as a human being (I’m paraphrasing). I can’t for the life of me find that quote but I’m sure I read it because it stunned me. I think it was in response to the question of whether it’s even moral to hold on to that much money as a single person.
So I’m not sure if he’s getting worse. I think he’s always been like this only now it’s even more disgusting and in our faces every damn day.
Ivanka – god help me – looks lovely in that dress. Inappropriate but lovely.
I feel like this is a kind of unfair statement because nobody got on Michelle Obama when she wore very expensive clothes. I loved seeing former FLOTUS in the most creative and classy outfits and in general, we didn’t focus on “struggling families” because of the price tag of her clothes so I don’t wanna put that on Melania either.
Agreed. Did they comment on Michelle’s $12k Versace? No? Then they are hypocrites.
Um, Michelle Obama contributed though. She worked. She did her part. She wore those expensive outfits while trying to make a difference. And they criticized her for breathing/existing so let’s not get carried away by the “unfairness” of it all.
Here you go, Dee. Let me repost what I posted downthread.
“Maybe because Michelle worked, both before becoming FLOTUS, and then worked as FLOTUS. She wasn’t a decorative bauble hiding out in Chicago, using the girls’ schooling as an excuse and costing you, me and all of us one million dollars a day to keep her in a swanky penthouse while disadvantiging the entire neighborhood.”
They criticized the woman for trying to end childhood obesity!!!! So yes, I think its fair game to criticize Melania Trump for eating off the American people, while wearing a $10,000 outfit and not contributing anything to society.
@dee, Michelle having an expensive dress is different than Melania. Michelle worked for the Americans. She didn’t cost taxpayers $500,000 a day because she didn’t want to move. The Trumps are wasting our money when they go on vacation every weekend and having secret service go with his sons during business trips. Wake up!
Michelle Obama’s clothing was appropriate for the occasions. This cocktail suit was not and Ivanka’s slip thing certainly was not. As for the price, yes, Obama detractors did attack Michelle regularly for the cost of her clothes.
Well, a couple things. First, yes, it’s WAY too much money. But Michelle wore that $12K dress to her LAST state dinner (hosting the Italian ambassador), not her husband’s FIRST address to Congress. We all know she was most often dressed in J. Crew outfits!!
NYT fashion/style writer Vanessa Friedman said the gown: “went far beyond being simply an ambassadorial nod to a guest country’s talent.” Friedman claims the dress, crafted of rose gold chainmail, also ‘made a powerful subliminal statement.’ “As much as it was gracefully cut and draped,” Friedman wrote, “it also spoke of armor and female strength, of the need to gird yourself to fight for what you believe in.”
Read more: http://smokeroom.com/2016/10/20/michelle-obama-wears-12k-versace-gown-to-final-state-dinner-as-first-lady/#ixzz4a6cADpD1
Ivankas husband always looks so smug.
Aren’t they hateful? How can he stand working for an anti-Semite? He’ll do anything for power – and his family is horrifying. Ivanka’s is completely tone deaf here, but she knows how to whip out those children for photo ops. I wonder if she still sees her daughter/kids for two hours a day?
For some reason I can get past the wife. She is/was one of those gold digging girls who thought she hit the jackpot. Karma sweetie, joke’s on you, you’re dt’s wife and I can’t think of a worse punishment for laying down for money. It’s the daughter and son-in-law I despise. This trick thinks she is entitled to power in the WH bc of her secret not so secret questionable relationship with her father. Her husband standing quietly beside her with the smug look of entitlement on his mug. He is pulling the puppet’s strings and she gleefully sits in on meetings she has no business being in. This is the ugliest I’ve witnessed my country and the tension is palpable. I keep waiting for a knight in shining armor to appear and save us from this nightmare. But he/she is nowhere in sight, there are no saviors coming to the rescue.
Melania isn’t being punished. She’ll pick and chose what First Lady responsibilities she wants to take on, she’ll spend every dime of tax payer money she can, and she’ll scam and scheme to figure out how to monetize this gig.
As a bonus, Donald is gone Monday – Friday.
Sorry Megan, but baby fists enters her body, which is enough punishment for the worst offender. She is the First Lady for photo ops only. Her life as a pampered trophy wife are long gone as I imagine she wishes she was. I doubt she has the intellect to scam and scheme to make this situation tolerable. When she married him for the good life, all she had to do was look pretty……those days are as dead as her eyes have become. Poor dat
@nancy she is suing the Daily mail for $125 million claiming salacious gossip they printed about her is preventing her from monetizing the “once in a lifetime opportunity” of being first lady. Life the rest of the Trump klan, she intends to cash out on this presidency.
Since everything about Trump and his grifter family depresses me, I just want to say that I LOVE the #womenwearwhite. I hope someone explained the concept carefully and using words as small as his hands to Trump, so he understands the meaning of it.
As for the dual FLOTUS’s… f*ck both their shoes, and their dresses too. 🙁
I haven’t watched the actual speech, because listening to him talk gives me hives.
I got home from work and my husband put on his speech. I was going to try and watch it. But I couldn’t, within a minute of tuning in, he was talking about an immigrant killing a cop. I’m sorry that happened but he cherry picks what he talks about to support his agenda. A white American shot and killed my husband’s nephew. Are we going to start deporting all white American men? There are bad people in every single race. I just can’t with Trump. ..
I didn’t watch either. Did he bother to mention Kansas and the white racist who shouted, “Get out of my country” before shooting the Indian men?
I can’t listen to the idiot speak either.
Sorry melania looked like a hooker in church. No offense to hookers.
Remember when conservatives lost their sh*t when Michelle Obama wore a sleeveless dress? I’m waiting for the same reaction to Ivanka’s Project Runway creation.
Yes, I do! This family has gotten away with so much shit the Obama’s would have been ripped apart for doing. I’m white, but I just feel like they are getting away with it because they are white…
This. So. Much.
and I’m white, and ashamed.
I am waiting for their outrage over the bra strap. I am sure it is coming any minute now….
But don’t you realize Plastic Barbie is hot shit while Michelle is Black? There you go, explains it all.
Ivanka is dressed like SNL’s Girl You Wish You Hadn’t Started A Conversation With At A Party.
Lol. She was so awful, standing awkwardly next to the Navy SEAL’s widow as Trump milked the moment for way too long.
For me that was really the worst part. I was surprised his widow showed up, given how her husband’s father feels.
So are these the supposed “lucrative years” of being photographed that she spoke about in her lawsuit. She sees being photographed in expensive clothes a money-maker apparently. I found all the Trump garb and family grins disgusting because so-called president Trump took full advantage of the navy seal widow. Wonder what her father-in-law thought of her letting Trump use her like that. Sad!
I see it the way one commenter online did: “Trump sent a soldier off to die in a half-baked raid and then used his grieving widow as a prop. I’m still processing this.”
Yeah, that was such blatant exploitation it took my breath away. I wondered why she even agreed to appear. I get why she would want her husband’s memory honored but the fact that Trump couldn’t even be bothered to skip dinner during the botched raid that killed her husband, nor would he take any responsibility for his death, would put me more in her father-in-law’s mindset of wanting nothing to do with Trump.
The SEAL’s widow was a dumbass to let herself be used this way. It just sickens me.
Totally used. I don’t understand he motive.
I may be really wicked for thinking this, but remember when he paid the women who had accused Bill of rape to appear with him before the debate? I am wondering what kind of “extra honorary” pensions he granted the widow to get her to appear. It didn’t even have to be a direct pay for play – just a “look at how the president feels your pain and is approving this special grant for your kids’ college or something? I would think she’d feel grateful and come?
Prolly the SEAL’s widow is a Trump voter? I sure hope that’s not the case though.
Agree. That widow must have wanted her moment in the spotlight. The Seal’s father is calling for an investigation into what happened but you know they’ll stonewall and it won’t happen. But Benghazi had how many investigations? And Trump who never takes responsibility for anything blames the military and of course Obama. Get ready to hear that everything is always Obama’s fault. I just can’t with these people.
Well, apparently Obama is behind all of the protests at the moment…so he’s already trying that one. If he can’t blame Hilary, he’ll blame Obama instead. God forbid he ever take any responsibility for anything.
“That widow must have wanted her moment in the spotlight.”
I felt ashamed for thinking the same thing, even though I can’t imagine the profound grief she is in right now. It’s amazing that she allowed herself to be used as a prop for a man who prematurely ordered a raid in the hopes of having his own Bin Laden victory. A man who only hours before blamed the military to which her husband proudly belonged for failing at making him look good.
She seemed so theatrical, like the poster child for base bunnies everywhere.
She always attends events she doesn’t have to open her mouth.
Yeah, I thought she looked the most relaxed and happy I have seen her in ages. I guessed it was because all she literally had to do was clap and stand and sit.
Ivanka really annoys me, I wish she and her husband would disappear.
I wonder if Melania flew back to NYC after the speech or actually stayed in the White House?
$9500.00? Why? Okay, big name designer, but $9500.00, really?
It freaks me out. My car didn’t cost much more than that.
That’s a year’s worth of rent for me. And my rent is pretty steep for what I get.
Rent + tuition on my side, with extra for living. I’ve always wondered what they do with expensive outfits such as these, since they obviously won’t wear it again.
What about when Michelle’s Versace cost around $11K? I always understand and agree with sentiments against trump and co but sometimes I’m perplexed by things like this especially because we’ve all loved and admired Michelle’s First Lady swag regardless of the price tag. So why are we discussing how much of our rent, car payment and mortgage payment ivankas clothes are?
Maybe because Michelle worked, both before becoming FLOTUS, and then worked as FLOTUS. She wasn’t a decorative bauble hiding out in Chicago, using the girls’ schooling as an excuse and costing you, me and all of us one million dollars a day to keep her in a swanky penthouse while disadvantiging the entire neighborhood.
Like Susanne said – she’s not really doing anything. It’s a 10k outfit for someone who doesn’t even live in the freaking white house – she’s just an ornament at this point – since marrying Trump I honestly doubt she’s worked a day in her life – but both husband and wife like to use their wealth as a “I’m better than you” symbol.
Michelle worked her ass off, and she always has. I still think 10k is insane for ANY outfit, regardless of who is wearing it – and if there was an article about Michelle wearing one on this site, I’d be happy to chime in with the same kind of astonishment over the price. But we’re here with THIS article and THIS woman and THIS presidency. It’s mainly a story because these are the people who constantly lord their wealth around and who make statement after statement showing that money is really all that matters to them. It’s their attitude as a whole that makes this the story that it is.
Ridiculous price. She’ll only wear it once and is just sitting in it. Didn’t look like the right thing to wear to a speech either
Both outfits are not occasion appropriate. A joint session of congress is not a cocktail party. Can’t stand these awful tacky people.
I guess it’s time for a morning cry. I think I’ll go look at pictures of Michelle Obama and sigh. I miss her elegance and so much. Actually, I miss everything about her.*sob*
Just like nice people sometimes wear awful outfits (paging Jessica Chastain and Ruth Negga), so, too, do awful people sometimes wear nice outfits.
So we’re wearing suits with sequins or leaving our bra strap out (don’t know if it is but it looks like it) for speeches in congress. Jesus take the wheel and drive fast.
Got a text message from my boo asking if Trump was, indeed, wearing a navy tie with a black suit. Turned this mess on. Saw Melania’s getup. Turned it right back off because seeing him or hearing him/any of these tacky grifters makes me want to work out my emotions with food and that is part of why I gained 10 pounds at the end of 2016. Sequins/beading are not appropriate for this event, nor is that neckline. No, I’m not a prude, but this is D.C. Do you see any of the democratic women in white with necklines that low? Quick Google search shows me that M.O. at her plungiest never got to mid-nipple neckline.
I think they mixed up their invitations. Thought it was the Oscars.
Beautiful suit and she wore it well.
“Beautiful suit and she wore it well. ”
to the wrong event.
Slit down to the waist and slit almost up to the pubes. With sequins! Ugly suit appropriate for some Real Housewife with tacky taste.
Hahaha!. Good one.
i agree with you. the suit was very beautiful and in my opinion appropriate. no matter what she wore, there would be outcry
Great suit, wrong event. Very tone-deaf in a Marie Antoinette sort of way.
One can only hope it leads to the same end.
😄😄😄😄😄😄
Very cute. 🙂
Ivanka Trump’s outfit reminds me of why I hated her clothing line even years ago. None of it is actually office appropriate. It’s “work wear” for privileged socialites.
Honest question, and I realise I am being a bit mean, but with all the expensive plastic surgeons at her beck and call, could Melanoma not afford to buy real eyes? They stuck her with retrusive raisins, I would ask for my money back, bigly.
Is it a *new* outfit? Because I don’t think we should give any designer flack for “dressing” Melania when she undoubtedly already has walk-in closets full of designer clothes to choose from.
I loathe the whole family, but I don’t feel like being snarky right now. Melania looks very pretty in that dress.
I’m going to be positive:
Awkward silence….
It’s nice to see Melania smile in a photo. I can’t recall seeing it recently.
Lord, even Ivanka Trump doesn’t want to wear ‘Ivanka by Ivanka Trump’.
The price is just meh. I mean much more than I will EVER pay for clothing but par for the course for someone in her position. The sparkles are what bother me; bigly inappropriate for this event. Also, Ivanka’s dumb ass looks like she’s going to the club.
I think the suit is probably one of the more flattering things she’s worn, but the sparkly bits are rather over the top for the occasion where she isn’t the center of attention. Both she and Ivanka are rather unprofessionally dressed for the occasion, in my humble opinion.
Agree.
Neither Melania nor Ivanka look Congressional address appropriate. Not picking on them because I dislike them but both seem to be evening looks for a night out. That’s not really what the occasion calls for.
TBQH, all the Trumps come across new money trash to me much of the time. I did like Melania’s Inauguration day Ralph Lauren though.
Totally agree. You summed it up perfectly.
As someone on Twitter commented- she’s ready for her close up at Studio 54.
I found it weird that Ivanka was sitting next to the widow and not Melania.
Ugh, Ivanka. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Milk that moment, Ivanka..
Melania’s outfit was nice.
I thought the “Real” First Lady’s dress looked like a cocktail dress. Ivanka’s dress was wrong for the occasion.
Just a question. Are these outfits on FLOTUS1 and FLOTUS2 borrowed a la red carpet deal or are they bought and at retail or discount.I recall various articles in the past about rules regarding gifting but I would like to know.Thanks.
Everyone knows I’m no Trump fan, but I thought Melania looked lovely last night in her beaded suit.
Ivanka looks like she is an escort to the rich and Malaria looks like a She-Pimp. Jared looks like his dick is shrivelling from having to pretend to be into his “woman”.
Great thread here! I am snorting and laughing – the raisin eyes, the She-pimp, the shriveling dick!
i’ll be the voice of dissent – i like both outfits and think they were appropriate to the event. Melania’s suit may have had sparkles but in an otherwise understated black. Ivanka’s dress is absolutely something I would wear to work (I’m a physician and own comparable looks by Victoria Beckham). Michelle often wore beautiful print full-skirted dresses to similar events that could equally straddle the line between work and party appropriate.
The cost of the suit IMO is irrelevant; they buy their own stuff with their bigly fortune, and that cost is in line with a high end designer in an item that was probably hand-sequined. I can imagine Melania being criticized for posing if she tried to wear low-end items.
I don’t like Trump at all, and am not fans of either of these two women but these criticisms feel almost like people are looking for things to nitpick.