Unlike with previous presidential elections, the promise of an incoming first lady can mean global exposure and sales for designers, but the reaction to the return of Melania Trump in that role has been muted at best.
A former model with a strong fashion sense would seem to be the perfect customer for American talent to chase. However, the ties between New York’s fashion industry and the Slovenian-born Trump have been knotted at times. When Donald Trump was first elected president, several big-name designers publicly declared they would not dress his wife, despite the fact that she had not asked any of them to.
After becoming an official FLOTUS, she routinely wore European designers, and occasionally American ones too such as a pale blue custom Ralph Lauren ensemble for the 2017 inauguration. More often than not though, her stylist Herve Pierre buys designer clothing for her in freestanding stores. More than seven years later that is still the case. Sixteen designers didn’t race to respond Wednesday to requests from WWD asking about whether they would dress her or her potential impact on fashion.
Melania Trump wearing a Dior suit at the Republican National Convention last summer.
Getty
Representatives for Michael Kors, Prabal Gurung, Diotima’s Rachel Scott, Zankov’s Henry Zankov, Sergio Hudson and Tanner Fletcher’s Tanner Richie and Fletcher Kassel declined to comment. In turn, Trump has no qualms about wearing European luxury labels like Dior, which she wore twice on Election Day. She sported a black and white polka dot shirtdress from Dior to vote in Palm Beach and a gray Dior suit for her husband’s victory speech Tuesday night.
Melania Trump wears a Michael Kors zebra-printed coat to her husband’s rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City last month.
Having stayed under the radar for the past four years and away from the glare of a highly public life, Trump will need some wardrobe additions, according to Pierre. Ninety-five percent of what Pierre buys for Trump is purchased via freestanding stores versus through designer showrooms or custom designs, which previous first ladies favored. Working directly with designers or having them submit sketches for potential creation is not Pierre’s thing. “I don’t really do that for the good reason that the fashion industry is not very welcoming [of Trump.] That’s no secret,” he said. “Some are very open-minded and would be able to do something special. But a lot of people are not.”
So much so, that once when Pierre was shopping in a designer’s store on Madison Avenue in New York City, he was told that he “was not welcome here.” Pierre declined to identify the store, “not wanting to give them this free publicity.”
Noting how ordering custom clothes costs a lot of money and is time-consuming, Pierre flagged how in-store shopping can be efficient provided there is something suitable to buy. Recalling how his former employers Carolina Herrera and Oscar de la Renta used to be open to working with first ladies — Democrats and Republicans alike — Pierre said that the few times that he asked an American brand to make a dress or skirt for Trump, he was told, “’Unfortunately, we can’t do that.’” Laughing, he said, “It wasn’t even anything special. Maybe it was in a different color.”
Melania Trump in Dolce & Gabbana.
John Salangsang/WWD
Pierre added, “They say, ‘Oh, she doesn’t dress in American brands.’ But you have to not forget that some American brands are not very welcoming toward her. I respect that. But my job is to dress her so I will go wherever I can, if I find the right look that is appropriate.”
Michael Kors and Proenza Schouler are a few American labels that Trump has worn. And one of her wardrobe staples is a white Carolina Herrera blouse that she often wears with one of five black Dolce & Gabbana suits. One of the challenges of shopping American is the fact that some of the major designers like Calvin Klein no longer have New York City stores, Pierre’s preferred destination. “The choices are a little bit limited now. Donna Karan just reopened but the Donna Karan collection compared to eight years ago…”
As for whether Trump will sport more American designers after she returns to the White House next year, Pierre said, “It’s a matter of wait-and-see. Of course, if there’s something beautiful. I always really try to push for Americans and see what they have.”
Melania Trump wearing a custom Ralph Lauren short, double-faced jacket with bold collar cutaway and three-quarter-length sleeves over a matching lean mock-turtle dress at the 2017 inauguration.
AP
That being what it may, some domestic labels are “a little extreme” for her and don’t meld into her wardrobe easily, according to Pierre. That would also be true of one of Balenciaga’s more over-the-top designs.
Describing Trump’s style as ”very well-anchored,” Pierre said, “There may be a recipe for how to be a first lady that she escaped. When you are 54 [as Trump is], you own your personality and you are not following the trends. You have your own style. And if you are secure in your own look, you have character and you are in charge of who you are.”
Unlike during Trump’s first term, Pierre had his own ready-to-wear and eveningwear business that folded during the pandemic. That means Pierre will have more time to work with the incoming first lady. A designer in his own right, Pierre, who created her inaugural gown in 2017, can also offer her custom options. His former business partner Nicolas Caito has since returned to France and now works at Dior. “It’s sad that one of the best drapers in New York went back to France, because he couldn’t find a job in the garment district in America. Why is someone like Dior taking him [in] and we didn’t?”
First lady Melania Trump donates her inaugural gown, designed by Herve Pierre, to the First Ladies’ Collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History
AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais
As much as he wishes that people would be more open-minded, he understands that “people are not always easy,” he said. “Also, she is a wonderful woman. I would never work for somebody who wasn’t.”
Looking forward to periodically visiting the White House again, Pierre praised the excellence of the staff that maintains 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue comparing their exactitude to “a couture house.” While he and Trump have become closer over the past eight years, he said, “I am very lucky to work with the first lady of the country. Also, I was not born here and she was not born here. I am very humbled and it’s just very exciting. It’s like a James Bond movie.”
Making the point that Trump, who is partial to tailored styles and signature pieces, isn’t exactly a Yohji Yamamoto wearer, Pierre said, “If you are dressed in the way that you like, you are a little bit stronger. If you were put in a pink miniskirt with polka dots and flowers, and had your hair dyed red, your personality would be shaken,” he said. “That’s true of any person — men, women or whoever. If you feel secure in your own clothes, you can be more confident.”