- Title: 'Her presence transformed it,' says designer of Melania Trump's hat
- Date: 20th January 2025
- Summary: MIAMI, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES (JANUARY 20, 2025) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) FASHION DESIGNER, ERIC JAVITS, SAYING: “This was, you know, you know, sort of couture-level workmanship. And I had to create the wooden block for this hat because it would have taken too long to order, you know, a new woodblock to the specifications needed. So what I did was I took existing cr
- Embargoed: 3rd February 2025 22:13
- Keywords: Eric Javits Inauguration Melania Trump Melania Trump hat designer fashion hat
- Location: WASHINGTON, D.C. AND MIAMI, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES
- City: WASHINGTON, D.C. AND MIAMI, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES
- Country: US
- Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,North America
- Reuters ID: LVA007487720012025RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:As President Donald Trump entered the U.S. Capitol Rotunda to be sworn into office on Monday (January 20), he moved to kiss the cheek of his wife Melania Trump but was blocked by an ever-present, wide-brimmed hat that the First Lady wore throughout the entirety of Inauguration Day.
The navy, boater-style hat with white trim sat atop Melania Trump's head through a morning church service, Donald Trump's swearing-in ceremony and a luncheon alongside Republican politicians and tech billionaires.
Inauguration Day attire, especially attire worn by the incoming president's wife, has frequently drawn attention from fashion experts, supporters and lookers-on who try to find significance in wardrobe choices.
For much of the day, the hat, made by American designer Eric Javits, obscured the First Lady's eyes.
"Traditionally, you know, a hat should be worn all day," Javits told Reuters. "You don't take it off until you're changing for another occasion."
Melania Trump also wore a double-breasted navy mid-length jacket by Adam Lippes, who is also an American designer.
Javits told Reuters that another of his designs had gotten Melania Trump's attention years ago and served as the springboard for this look.
Javits found out Melania Trump was wearing the hat on Monday when everyone else did, he said. "There was no guarantee, because obviously there was a venue change in the event, and, you know, you just never know until you see it on the person's head," he said. Trump decided to move Inauguration Day events indoors because of freezing temperatures in Washington.
"In my hands, it looks like a very sort of understated, humble hat," Javits said. "And, you know, when she put it on, and you saw it with the ensemble and all that, her presence transformed it and made it something very powerful."
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