Melania Trump chooses non-American dress for her big moment
Her husband’s campaign slogan is “Make America Great Again.” But when it came to her big moment in the spotlight, Melania Trump chose a dress not by an American designer, but by a Serbian-born designer based in London.
The Slovenian-born Trump wore an off-white dress with three-quarter length, bell-shaped sleeves — and a long zipper down the back — to address the Republican National Convention on Monday night. The dress was by Roksanda Illincic, whose designs are very popular in London and among celebrities, among them Gwyneth Paltrow, Keira Knightley and Daisy Ridley, to name just a few.
Samantha Cameron, wife of the former British prime minister, wore a colorful, flared Roksanda dress to leave Downing Street last week. But the designer’s most prominent fan is probably the Duchess of Cambridge. The former Kate Middleton has worn her designs to at least three events this summer, including a brilliant yellow dress with blocks of white to Wimbledon.
And then there’s Michelle Obama, who wore Roksanda’s beaded wool satin dress and wool coat to meet the Chinese president in 2011, among other occasions. Though the first lady has chosen designers from across the globe during her years in the White House, she wore American designers to address both Democratic conventions at which her husband was nominated: Maria Pinto in 2008 and Tracy Reese in 2012.
Women’s Wear Daily reported that Trump bought Illincic’s “Margot” dress online from the Net-a-Porter fashion site.
Illincic did not immediately return a call to her London office for comment, nor did the Trump campaign.