- Title: Melania Trump channels Jackie Kennedy but Conway grabs fashion headlines
- Date: 21st January 2017
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (JANUARY 20, 2017) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) E! NEWS CHIEF NEWS CORRESPONDENT MELANIE BROMLEY SAYING: "This election has been incredibly polarizing for many people and for that reason it's also not just divided the political landscape but also the fashion landscape as well so obviously there were some designers who did not want to be associated but there were others that did and Ralph Lauren has a long history with First Ladies, he is bipartisan, he is someone who believes that this is an occasion to convey a classic message of unity and so that's why he was chosen in the end."
- Embargoed: 4th February 2017 02:22
- Keywords: Donald Trump Melania Trump Ivanka Trump Kellyanne Conway Melanie Bromley E News fashion Inauguration Gucci Ralph Lauren Hillary Clinton
- Location: WASHINGTON, D.C.. USA / LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA / INTERNET
- City: WASHINGTON, D.C.. USA / LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA / INTERNET
- Country: USA
- Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Fashion
- Reuters ID: LVA0075ZW19VR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: New U.S. first lady Melania Trump channeled style icon Jacqueline Kennedy on Friday (January 20) but the Inauguration Day fashion headlines were stolen by a military-style coat worn by one of her husband's aides.
Trump, 46, the White House's first former model, chose American designer Ralph Lauren's baby blue cropped jacket with cowl neckline and matching dress for the swearing-in ceremony in Washington.
She later wowed onlookers in a sleek, off the shoulder white gown, slit to the thigh, designed by French-born Herve Pierre, for a formal inaugural ball where she and newly-elected President Donald Trump danced to the song "My Way," made famous by the late Frank Sinatra.
Melanie Bromley, Chief News Correspondent for E! News, told Reuters: "Melania actually looked very sophisticated, it was like power dressing but in a soft way especially with the color, that beautiful powder blue. Matching her shoes and her gloves was something that some people didn't like but actually this is very much in fashion at the moment and it was a very elegant choice. We have to bear in mind that the outfit that Melania wore is going to end up in the Smithsonian so it has to be really something that stands the test of time."
But the outfit grabbing most attention was the patriotic red hat with red, white and blue coat with brass buttons worn by Kellyanne Conway, senior aide to President Donald Trump.
The $3,600 double-breasted Gucci coat evoked the American Revolution era and took social media by storm with ridicule, memes and comparisons ranging from Paddington Bear to Napoleon and a nutcracker.
Bromley explained: "Kellyanne Conway's choice was definitely, really the headline of the whole inauguration. She managed to combine red, white and blue, the colors of the American flag, all in one outfit which meant that she was compared to Paddington Bear, Super Mario and also Papa Smurf in one of the things that I've read. People did not like her outfit very much at all, there was also a feline reference there in her buttons that were on her outfit."
However, despite Trump's stance on bolstering and supporting American businesses over foreign ones, Conway's couture was not from a US designer.
Bromley pointed out to Reuters: "Ultimately, this outfit was designed by Gucci which, of course, is not American so while she's very much the kind of messenger for Trump and what he has to say when it comes to television addresses and so forth, she didn't really convey that same message in her outfit choice."
Melania Trump's Inauguration Day outfit had been the cause of much speculation after Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs and other leading designers said publicly they would not dress the 5-feet-11-inch (1.8-m) former model for her big day because they opposed her husband and his policies.
Lauren and his eponymous corporation became synonymous with American style through his preppy line of Polo shirts, casual slacks and shorts in the 1970s.
The company's Facebook page filled on Friday with both praise and dismay at his decision to dress Trump for the swearing-in ceremony in Washington D.C.
He also designed the signature pantsuits worn by Trump's rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton, both during the 2016 election campaign and on Friday.
Elsewhere, white was the dominant color.
Ivanka Trump, who has her own fashion line, donned a white pantsuit with an asymmetrical cut that was designed by Oscar de la Renta. Clinton went for a cream coat over a more traditional pantsuit, and Tiffany Trump wore a white double breasted coast over a white dress. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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