Melania Trump made a deliberate fashion statement at her husband’s inauguration, choosing to keep her hat on and projecting an air of mystery.
Melania Trump’s Fashion Statement at the Inauguration
A Departure from Tradition: Melania Trump Keeps Her Hat On
In 1961, John F. Kennedy made a statement on his Inauguration Day by taking off his hat. However, this time around, Melania Trump did so by keeping her hat on. Specifically, she chose to wear the navy boater-style toque that matched her navy double-breasted coat, navy pencil skirt, and ivory blouse for her husband’s swearing-in.
While it is not unusual for first ladies to wear hats to a presidential inauguration, Mrs. Trump’s choice was notable due to its design. Unlike previous first ladies, who wore pillbox hats that allowed their faces to be visible, Mrs. Trump’s hat had a broad brim that shaded her eyes. This made it impossible to see what she was thinking, by design. Additionally, the hat made it difficult for her husband to get near her cheek for a kiss, drawing comparisons to Zorro.
The combination of her tightly buttoned coat and high-neck blouse with the hat gave Mrs. Trump an air of mystery and inaccessibility that was unusual for an inauguration. Traditionally, the first family is put on view as the new face of the nation, but Mrs. Trump’s choice seemed to draw a different kind of boundary.
Her decision to keep her hat and coat on even inside the Capitol Rotunda, including while Mr. Trump took the oath of office, further underscored this point. Mrs. Trump has cultivated a guarded image since her husband emerged on the political scene, and this fashion statement was in line with that image. The promise of an imperial presidency by President Trump also seemed to be reflected in Mrs. Trump’s choice.
In essence, Mrs. Trump may have just written a best-selling memoir and produced a documentary about her second stint in the White House, but she is drawing her own borders. Her fashion statement at the inauguration was a clear message that she is not interested in being put on view as the new face of the nation.
