Image Consultant Says What Melania Won't, Reveals a Message First Lady Is Sending with Wardrobe
First lady Melania Trump is carrying her fashion industry background into the White House.
“Melania Trump portrays this image of a calm, cool and collected woman,” said personal stylist Corey Roche, during a statement to the The New York Post.
“And she does that through her wardrobe.”
Roche, whose clientele reportedly includes celebrities and D.C. politicians, explained that Melania is intentional in how she presents herself to the public, making a point to always appear not only put together, but calm and collected as well. Balancing her husband’s often aggressive portrayal in the media.
Her feminine appearance, often choosing bold pinks or muted white and cream ensembles are a stark contrast to the business wear often sported by other first ladies in recent years.
Roche compared Trump’s style to that of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, whose style remains legendary several decades after her time as the first lady.
“I think she went back in time and pulled out some pieces from the Jackie O style of dressing,” Roche told The Post.
“Her style is pretty and muted, but doesn’t go unnoticed.”
Fashion experts agree that first ladies use their wardrobe to promote themselves in different ways, often using clothing as a way to communicate the role they wish to play in the White House.
Former first lady Michelle Obama was often photographed wearing modern business attire, which made sense for the lawyer. Obama took a notable role as not only the wife of the president but someone who promoted causes of interest to her — notably healthy eating and exercise for children.
Likewise, Hillary Clinton, infamous for her brightly colored pantsuits, would go on to launch a political career of her own.
Nancy Reagan, a former actress, was also noted for her fashion choices during her time as the first lady. The assertive wife of former President Ronald Reagan was known for wearing red.
Other stylists assert that Trump’s fashion choices indicate that the First Lady wishes to remain in a more traditional role within the White House.
The former model is said to use traditional and feminine style to show that she desires to remain the supportive wife of the president, and is less interested in catapulting herself into the political arena.
“It’s very feminine, but the clothes are not the clothes of working women,” said Christina Logothetis, a Washington D.C.-based image consultant. “Part of what she’s conveying is that she’s not in office, she is the wife and very specifically playing that role and only that role. And that is definitely in contrast to her immediate predecessors.”
Fascination with the first lady is nothing new for the American public.
According to the Post, the interest in first lady fashion goes as far back as Dolly Madison, who wore a feathered turban to the inauguration in 1809. Mary Todd Lincoln’s fashion choices and spending are also said to have caused a “crisis” during the Civil War.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
