Melania Trump always defied the First Lady fashion rules – here’s what she’ll do the second time around

An industry veteran who has also dressed Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama and Laura Bush, Pierre has been outspoken about the fact that many top designers refuse to dress Melania, including Marc Jacobs, Jason Wu, Zac Posen and Tom Ford. “If people don’t want to dress her, I think it’s sad, but I was honoured. I don’t criticize these people – it’s their choice, and that’s the beauty of democracy,” he told Harper’s Bazaar in 2017.

Some designers may not choose to dress her, but that doesn’t mean they can prevent Melania from wearing them. Spoiler alert: she’s married to a billionaire, ergo wealthy enough to buy everything off the peg. While designers such as Jean Paul Gaultier and Dolce & Gabbana were early Melania supporters, it will be interesting to see who follows suit this second term.

For now, her go-to seems to be Dior, worn both on election day and to cast her vote on November 5th, when she chose a belted black and white polkadot dress. Like her Dior suit, her dress looked grey from a distance, so tiny were the polka-dots. But if the desired effect was to blend in, both outfits had the oxymoronic effect of making her stand out. Surrounded by primary colours, specifically red, the eye was drawn to her look. The same effect occurred at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally, when she appeared in a slim-fitting black and white tiger print trench coat by Michael Kors.