The inauguration of the 47th President, Donald Trump, was this past Monday, and it is safe to say that he wasn’t the only topic of discussion. Ironically, as this day was centered around the initiation of Trump and his new Vice President, J.D. Vance, the fashion choices of certain attendees and celebrities sparked a buzz.
The most obvious and seemingly scandalous was First Lady Melania Trump’s towering hat. The hat she wore appeared to cover almost half of her face — something that could nearly seem inappropriate to wear during her husband’s inauguration. First ladies are more often than not viewed to stand proudly in support of their newly partnered president, so wearing something that shields parts of one’s face might be sending a message.
Nonetheless, this would not be outlandish speculation for Melania, as her attitude and support of her husband, or alleged lack thereof, has been a buzzworthy subject during this past election. In all of her undeniably fashionable outfits, Melania has been pictured multiple times showing looks of dismay or disappointment when standing next to her husband. She has even stated in interviews that sometimes she has disagreed with her own husband on certain topics, despite being a public figure alongside him during this time.
In an interview with Fox & Friends, she said, “Maybe some people, they see me as just a wife of the president, but I’m standing on my own two feet, independent.”
However, this is all merely speculation and maybe just a bad photo that was taken. This might not have been Melania’s intention at all, and only in the name of fashion.
In fact, hats are very fashionable for first ladies. Previous iconic first ladies like Nancy Reagan and Michelle Obama certainly set a precedent for first lady fashion. They were also a subject of conversation during their terms for their high-end style.
Melania’s stepdaughter, Ivanka Trump, wore a beret-type ivory green hat with a matching drape and jacket. Indeed, Melania was not the only direct family member to wear a head covering inside the Capitol. Nevertheless, Melania might have been the first, first lady to wear a hat of that magnitude. Coincidentally, at the initiation of her husband.
However, a hat is not the worst thing to wear to an inauguration.
Lauren Sanchez, the stunning fiancee of Amazon CEO and multi-billionaire Jeff Bezos, made a particularly noteworthy fashion choice on this patriotic day. Sanchez donned a sharp white blazer with just enough of a v-cut to expose what appeared to be a white lacy bra. The undergarments Sanchez chose to wear were no crime, but being painfully visible at a presidential inauguration is.
While there is no question that she looked incredible, this unfortunately falls under the category of fashion don’ts. No matter the candidate, a presidential event is supposed to be graceful and sophisticated, and the least one can do is try to stick to business casual attire. While she was maybe trying to make a subtle gesture, it is clear her outfit did not fly under the radar.
This certainly gained attention, thus causing a viral video to circulate of her outfit – or rather the outlandish reactions she got from it. Mark Zuckerberg, a fellow billionaire and Meta CEO, was sitting close by Bezos and Sanchez, peaking at Sanchez’s outfit during the inauguration.
This was such an awkward occurrence for many reasons. The first, and probably most relevant, was that Zuckerberg is a married man. To make matters more interesting, his wife, Priscilla Chan, was also in attendance at the inauguration, sitting on the other side of him and Sanchez. For what it’s worth, Chan was beautifully dressed in a Bottega knit set, undoubtedly outshining what lingerie couldn’t pull off in accordance with appropriateness.
In the midst of these fashion features, there is one attendee’s attire that has been brought to light in her new role as Second Lady, Usha Vance. Usha, who’s typically not been one for the direct spotlight, absolutely exceeded fashion expectations as the newest second lady. Showing class, elegance and grace, her rosy pastel Oscar de la Renta coat was a given eye-catcher. This girly and chic fashion choice was definitely one for the books and sets high expectations for her ensembles to come for her many important events ahead.
As something as historical as the inauguration of our 47th president, I am certain that this generation has once again proved how unserious they are. Specifically, how much more the fashion drama centered around it, and the attendees in question seemed to be more interesting than the inaugurated officials. It also puts into perspective what the media is feeding us and what they are not, however monumental or minuscule. It is almost as if we cannot get enough.
But hey, I am guilty of this too, or I wouldn’t be writing this article.
Ansley Graves is a junior at UT this year, studying journalism. She can be reached at [email protected].
Columns and letters of The Daily Beacon are the views of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Beacon or the Beacon’s editorial staff.
