Forget the White House, Melania Trump is a First Lady in White-ing: she never stops wearing it
FORGET potentially heading to the White House, Melania Trump could also be the US’s First Lady in White-ing with a wardrobe full of the world’s most impractical hue.
OPINION
LET’S face it, white isn’t a usual go-to colour when it comes to everyday wear and tear. But a day in the life of First Lady hopeful Melania Trump isn’t exactly the same kind of day like yours and mine. There’s hardly even a crease on her white attire let alone a lone food stain or dribble.
While most of our white wardrobe bits and pieces need to sustain coffee and red wine spills, grubby cuffs from hours at a keyboard followed by hours of Napi-San-ing and bleaching, a Mrs Trump wardrobe piece is most probably a one-wear wonder.
As she stood there in reciting her National Republican Convention Speech last week — a speech remarkably similar to the one delivered by Michelle Obama in 2008, critics and fans also noticed she continued following her own fashion creed, that of wearing all-white.
“White is good under harsh lighting and down lighting,” says Vogue Australia editor-in-chief Edwina McCann.“It also says ‘control’ or ‘I don’t spill anything.”
Ms McCann says white suggests affluence, something the Trumps like to show off in abundance. But who would really want that tandoori-tanned face or Donald’s anywhere near your white silk?
“It also says a bottomless dry-cleaning budget,” adds Vogue’s Ms McCann.
“And dare I say it, it says purity,” she adds cheekily, “although the latter might take more than a white dress to be convincing!”
Indeed, white, especially the exquisitely fitted tailored dress with ruffled sleeves by Roksanda Ilinćić (which sold out hours after she wore it at the Republican Convention) certainly had a tad of ‘can’t touch this’ about it.
Wearing white as often as Melania does — and her penchant for the impractical hue goes waaaay back — doesn’t say I’ve been slaving away and tapping away at the office or jumping in and out of a cab or taking the train.
It says ‘I take a limo; I have minimal contact to pen ink or coloured food groups and I prefer champagne as opposed to red wine.
Look around the office, your train, on the street right now. Can you see much top-to-toe white floating about?
According to fashion stylist Donny Galella white is very on-trend at the moment, even though he admits it is a very hard colour to wear.
“Melania Trump has been wearing rocking white at all her appearances lately,’’ says Mr Galella.
“White can promote a sense of innocence and purity and it is referred to as the ‘colour of perfection’.
“White is also a very luxurious colour and it’s probably for these reasons, Melania has chosen the crisp tone over and over.”
Looking back over the years, Galella agrees that Melania has always been a fan of the head to toe white look: “If she becomes the future First Lady, I’m sure we’ll be treated to a plethora of wonderful white outfits from her,” he adds.
You know what white also says? It absolutely says ‘look at me’. It says ‘I have entered the room and you are going to look at ME’.
And that is something Melania seems to be wanting time and time again.
Historically, white says purity and a ‘new beginning’, hence weddings dresses (that were once red and heavily brocaded gowns) only became ‘white’ back in 1840 after the marriage of Queen Victoria to Albert of Saxe-Coburg. Bet you didn’t know that fun fashion fact.
But let’s get back to Melania. Scrolling through the hundreds and hundreds of pictures of her at various events since she met Donald Trump back in 1998 at a model party (what a surprise!) the one thing that sticks out is white. She loves to wear it morning, noon and night.
Yup, we get that the former, Slovenian born bikini model has a rocking body, but by the look of it, there is going to be no stopping the 47-year-old showcasing white and the bod it covers as best she can.
As Melania recently told GQ magazine in a profile on the wannabe First Lady, she takes her fashion seriously, even designing some gem-spangled jewels and watches. But, she told the mag she scoffs at reports she may have had a breast augmentation.
“I didn’t make any changes,” she tells GQ.
“A lot of people say I am using all the procedures for my face. I didn’t do anything. I live a healthy life, I take care of my skin and my body. I’m against Botox, I’m against injections; I think it’s damaging your face, damaging your nerves. It’s all me. I will age gracefully, as my mom does.”
In the meantime we can just look forward to seeing more of the Melania white frock show ... whether she and husband Donald make it to the White House or not.
Originally published as Forget the White House, Melania Trump is a First Lady in White-ing: she never stops wearing it