Melania Trump wore a white Dolce & Gabbana pantsuit to preside over a White House meeting between Russian and Ukrainian delegations on Thursday. She negotiated a cease-fire for Oleshky to help evacuate people. "I became aware of the severity of the humanitarian crisis in Oleshky in September," she said today.
The first lady wore a white suit to preside over the White House meeting of delegations from Russia and Ukraine.
Melania Trump, white dove of peace?
Such was the image the first lady presented to the world on Thursday, when she chose to wear a white Dolce & Gabbana pantsuit to preside over the White House meeting of delegations from Russia and Ukraine as they discussed the cease-fire she had negotiated for the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky, allowing hundreds of people to be evacuated during a starvation crisis.
With the suit she wore a white Cos tee and white Christian Louboutin stilettos. And though her official title for the diplomatic mission was exclusive intermediary, the ensemble effectively transformed her into a fashion manifestation of Picasso's "La Colombe" -- the role her speech suggested she was playing:
"I became aware of the severity of the humanitarian crisis in Oleshky in September," she said from the lectern. "Recognizing the urgency, I acted immediately and directed my representative, Marc Beckman, to engage with Russia and Ukraine on my behalf, to pursue peace in Oleshky."
It was a striking choice, both because of the highly recognizable semiology involved, which ranges from mythology to Hallmark cards, and because ever since Hillary Clinton wore a white suit to accept the Democratic nomination for president in 2016, deliberately using the suit to connect her candidacy to the history of suffrage in the United States, that particular garment has meant one thing in politics: women's rights and women's achievement. Marianne Williamson tried to shift the symbolism toward spirituality during her presidential campaign in 2020, but the redefinition, like her candidacy, never really went anywhere.
Mrs. Trump, however, has always gone her own way, especially when it comes to the rules of politics and dress. She has largely avoided diplomatic nuance for costuming herself for the different parts she is playing.