The meaning behind Melania Trump's outfit to meet Queen Rania of Jordan - one of the world's most stylish royals
In her role as First Lady, Melania Trump will be meeting power players from across the globe: from Queens and Presidents to Prime Ministers and Princesses, part of her unofficial job description is to welcome them all to the White House. Yesterday, the FLOTUS greeted King Abdullah and Queen Rania of Jordan to Washington, where the King and President held talks while the Queen and Mrs Trump visited a girls-only school.
Queen Rania is renowned as one of the world's most stylish royals, with a penchant for polished international designers including Dior, Alexander McQueen and Elie Saab. So how did Melania Trump approach dressing for her meeting with the Queen?
Firstly, she turned to Hervé Pierre, the former Carolina Herrera creative director with whom she collaborated on the white column gown she wore for the Inauguration Ball. He created an emerald green, figure-hugging dress in the style which has come to define Trump's political wife look, with scarf detailing adding a thoughtful finishing touch.
Cinched at the waist but with a covered up neckline, the look encapsulated the more covered up look which Trump has lately made her own but with a nod to the glamour of the Trump woman aesthetic (see also, Ivanka and Tiffany, plus Lara, wife of Eric, and Vanessa, wife of Donald Jr.).
Mrs Trump's decision to work with Pierre again suggests that their collaboration may become akin to that of Oleg Cassini and Jackie Kennedy. Cassini became a personal couturier to Kennedy, creating the majority of her First Lady looks and helping to hone her distinctively elegant style.
'He knew that she had very demanding tastes,’ explains Lauren Marino, the author of Jackie and Cassini: A Fashion Love Affair. ‘He talks about looking at her as a geometric figure and as an Egyptian princess. He was on her level – she didn’t have to explain to him what Tintoretto yellow was. He got it... He brought in the one-shoulder gown and the empire dress, which were quite daring at the time – particularly for a First Lady.'
Although Pierre has so far only created two looks for Mrs Trump, a sleek yet glamorous theme is already emerging.
The choice of colour for the dress may also be a respectfully diplomatic nod from the First Lady. Green is one of the colours of the Jordanian flag and is particularly important in the Islamic faith as it is said to have been a favourite of Prophet Muhammad. It is also considered to represent paradise in the faith.
Mrs Trump was criticised earlier this week for choosing to wear Dolce and Gabbana in her official White House portrait, rather than an American designer. Designer Stefano Gabbana expressed his delight at the First Lady's choice, writing 'BEAUTIFUL... Thank you' beside a picture of the portrait on his Instagram account.
A post shared by stefanogabbana (@stefanogabbana) on Apr 4, 2017 at 2:40am PDT
Although the First Lady may not be taking the most traditional of sartorial decisions, her look for yesterday's meeting underscores a determinedly personal strategy which also shows some awareness of the political potential of her choices. After all, she has made #PowerOfTheFirstLady her signature hashtag.
Meanwhile, Queen Rania stayed true to her ultra-chic reputation, opting for an elegant black coat dress with a minimalist white foulard which echoed Melania's dress. Both women wore Christian Louboutin heels.
