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Melania Trump's inaugural ball gown has been cemented in history

Melania Trump donated her Hervé Pierre inaugural gown to the Smithsonian Institution. (Photo: Getty Images)
Melania Trump donated her Hervé Pierre inaugural gown to the Smithsonian Institution. (Photo: Getty Images)

Melania Trump has made fashion history by donating her inaugural ball gown to the Smithsonian Institution.

The first lady donated the cream-colored, off-the-shoulder couture gown by designer Hervé Pierre, which she wore to President Trump‘s Jan. 20 inaugural gala, to the First Ladies Collection at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The exhibit is widely considered the most popular attraction at the museum and showcases 26 other gowns worn by first ladies such as Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, and Jacqueline Kennedy.

Melania Trump and designer Hervé Pierre (Photo: Getty Images)
Melania Trump and designer Hervé Pierre (Photo: Getty Images)

Wearing a white Dolce & Gabbana dress, pink pumps, and a shell-pink coat thrown over her shoulders, Melania took the podium to accept the honor. “While I may be the one onstage, I want to take a moment to introduce you to the person who designed my gorgeous couture piece: designer Mr. Hervé Pierre,” she said, adding that the French-American artist is a “real professional.”

Melania continued, “To be honest, what I would wear to the inaugural ball was the last thing on my mind. In fact, by the time I got around to thinking about my wardrobe choice, poor Hervé was only given two weeks to design and produce this couture piece.”

Melania and Donald Trump. (Photo: Getty Images)
Melania and Donald Trump. (Photo: Getty Images)

Explaining that her sole directive was a “modern, sleek, light, unique, and unexpected look,” Melania acknowledged that the designer, a former creative director at Carolina Herrera, had a daunting task ahead of him.

However, Pierre was up for the challenge. “If some people don’t want to dress the first lady, that’s the beauty of freedom,” the designer told the Washington Post on Friday. “That’s also my right to say yes. I wanted to. It was beside the political thing. It was not even a question. [To say no] would have been absurd. It was about the honor of the country.”

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