Fashion loved Michelle Obama, she will learn to love Melania Trump
Despite almost unanimous support for Hillary Clinton, the fashion industry cannot long ignore the fact that the style of the future US First Lady now represents a global forum.
After countless magazine covers, overseas visits, formal dinners and appearances on television sets, it is evident that Michelle Obama has had a particularly strong connection to fashion as the First Lady of the United States. But in the aftermath of Donald Trump's victory, after a very divisive presidential campaign in which the fashion industry publicly supported Hillary Clinton, the relationship between Melania Trump and the industry - as well as its magazines - remains unclear.
Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour actively supported Hillary Clinton and organized fundraisers for her campaign, as she had previously done for Barack Obama. It was the first time that the magazine officially voted in favor of a candidate. Glamor Editor-in-Chief Cindi Leive, Elle US Editor Robbie Myers, Hearst Editor Joanna Coles and CFDA (Council of American Fashion Designers) President Diane von Fürstenberg are fashion influencers to have also supported the wife of Bill Clinton.
What place for Melania Trump in magazines?
So how is this anti-Trump community going to behave towards America's future First Lady? Will his style be dissected, copied and praised with the same fervor as that of Michelle Obama? Impossible to make predictions.
It is indeed the first time that a president so blatantly disregards democratic rules and uses racist, xenophobic, anti-Semitic and nationalist remarks. This attitude will inevitably change the importance of Ms. Trump's style media coverage. “Although we never comment on upcoming editorials, Vogue has always had a tradition, since Helen Taft, of following first ladies, regardless of their husband's political party,” said a representative of the magazine. In addition to Ms. Taft, Vogue has photographed all the wives of US presidents, from Lou Hoover to the exception of Bess Truman. Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, made history when she became the first First Lady to appear on the magazine's cover in December 1998. Michelle Obama has posed a "one" three times since 2009, most notably in the December 2016 issue.
In its official letter of support to Hillary Clinton, Vogue also explains “having also presented Donald Trump and members of his family Ivana, Marla, Melania and Ivanka, on numerous occasions in [its] pages”. The magazine also featured Melania Trump on the cover of the February 2005 issue: Journalists André Leon Talley and Sally Singer accompanied her on her visit to Paris during the haute couture shows to buy her wedding dress.
“Fashion magazines have a very large readership, so it wouldn't really make sense to choose which first lady can be photographed based on political motives,” says Robin Givhan, Washington Post fashion journalist and author of the book Michelle: Her First Year As First Lady (“Michelle first year as First Lady”, Triumph Books, 2010). In the case of Vogue, the editor considers that the magazine's approach consists of writing about the different occupants of the White House: “If the question is: will the magazines photograph her and devote articles to her? I would say yes probably, because it's part of the tradition. But will they go further? I don't think anyone knows that today. "
Essential clothing choices
Indeed, there seems to be a limit. “Currently, we don't plan to cover Melania Trump in InStyle,” says magazine editor Laura Brown. Michelle Obama had appeared on the front page of the October 2016 issue. As for Cindi Leive of Glamor, who also featured Michelle Obama twice, and Robbie Myers of Elle, they declined to speak to this subject.
In contrast, StyleWatch, which belongs to the same group as InStyle, will decipher Ms. Trump's style. "If her clothing choices are inspiring, interesting, at affordable prices, whether they present new designers or have a journalistic interest, we will share them with our readers", assures the editor-in-chief. Lisa Arbetter.
“If Melania's clothing choices are inspiring, interesting, and affordable, we'll share them with our readers. Lisa Arbetter, Stylewatch Editor-in-Chief
Harper's Bazaar editor-in-chief Glenda Bailey also declined to comment, but her magazine did feature an interview and photo shoot with Melania Trump in its February 2016 issue. "Fashion is a tough industry." , explained the wife of Donald Trump, a 46-year-old former supermodel, who had to stop promoting his line of cosmetics and jewelry when the election campaign began. The magazine then compared her to Nancy Reagan and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, even though Melania Trump declined to say which first lady she admired.
A wealthy woman's style
The abundance of content on the Internet over the past eight years has contributed to the tremendous media coverage devoted to Michelle Obama's style, and so it seems inevitable that some degree of attention will be paid to that of Melania Trump. US site Pret-a-Reporter posted a photo gallery of the latter the day after the election, while E !, Hollywood Life and other celebrity sites had already started analyzing her style, outfit by outfit.
"In my memory, there was not such intense fashion media coverage for Laura Bush, which is in part because she was a much more traditional First Lady in terms of clothing," Givhan said. She was always stylish, but that still didn't justify posting a photo gallery of her. "
From a dress point of view, the few public appearances of Melania Trump during the campaign revealed the style of a wealthy woman, with blouses matched to the color of her jewelry, or even dresses and signed sets for the most part. European brands like Gucci or Roland Mouret. Her pre-campaign tweets reveal interest in Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Manolo Blahnik and Christian Louboutin, as well as bodycon dresses and large diamonds.
Obviously, Melania Trump buys her outfits bypassing the designers directly. It remains to be seen whether brands will be ready to dress it. To date, none have issued any press releases that they are wearing any of their outfits, as is often the case with other public figures or celebrities.
Part of the reason is the lack of opportunities. Melania Trump has chosen not to actively participate in her husband's campaign. Apart from a speech at the Republican Party convention (where she was accused of plagiarizing Michelle Obama), another in Philadelphia, and a few televised talks, she stayed away from the media .
Fashion, a vehicle for conveying messages
Another factor that could limit Ms. Trump's fashion media coverage would be whether or not she chooses to promote American designers, as Michelle Obama so brilliantly did. Or whether or not she decides to take a more prominent place at certain events. "There is nothing to indicate that she intends to use fashion in giving it such a strong meaning," says Robin Givhan. For example, various media, from Jezebel to the New York Post, hastened to make a connection between the blouse with bow tie otherwise called “pussy bow” - the word “pussy” which can mean “vagina” in French - worn by Melania Trump a few days after her husband's obscene remarks on the "Access Hollywood" show were revealed to the press. She said the coincidence was fortuitous.
“If Melania's clothing choices are inspiring, interesting, and affordable, we'll share them with our readers. Lisa Arbetter, Stylewatch Editor-in-Chief
In contrast, StyleWatch, which belongs to the same group as InStyle, will decipher Ms. Trump's style. "If her clothing choices are inspiring, interesting, at affordable prices, whether they present new designers or have a journalistic interest, we will share them with our readers", assures the editor-in-chief. Lisa Arbetter.
Harper's Bazaar editor-in-chief Glenda Bailey also declined to comment, but her magazine did feature an interview and photo shoot with Melania Trump in its February 2016 issue. "Fashion is a tough industry." , explained the wife of Donald Trump, a 46-year-old former supermodel, who had to stop promoting his line of cosmetics and jewelry when the election campaign began. The magazine then compared her to Nancy Reagan and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, even though Melania Trump declined to say which first lady she admired.
A wealthy woman's style
The abundance of content on the Internet over the past eight years has contributed to the tremendous media coverage devoted to Michelle Obama's style, and so it seems inevitable that some degree of attention will be paid to that of Melania Trump. US site Pret-a-Reporter posted a photo gallery of the latter the day after the election, while E !, Hollywood Life and other celebrity sites had already started analyzing her style, outfit by outfit.
"In my memory, there was not such intense fashion media coverage for Laura Bush, which is in part because she was a much more traditional First Lady in terms of clothing," Givhan said. She was always stylish, but that still didn't justify posting a photo gallery of her. "
From a dress point of view, the few public appearances of Melania Trump during the campaign revealed the style of a wealthy woman, with blouses matched to the color of her jewelry, or even dresses and signed sets for the most part. European brands like Gucci or Roland Mouret. Her pre-campaign tweets reveal interest in Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Manolo Blahnik and Christian Louboutin, as well as bodycon dresses and large diamonds.
Obviously, Melania Trump buys her outfits bypassing the designers directly. It remains to be seen whether brands will be ready to dress it. To date, none have issued any press releases that they are wearing any of their outfits, as is often the case with other public figures or celebrities.
Part of the reason is the lack of opportunities. Melania Trump has chosen not to actively participate in her husband's campaign. Apart from a speech at the Republican Party convention (where she was accused of plagiarizing Michelle Obama), another in Philadelphia, and a few televised talks, she stayed away from the media .
Fashion, a vehicle for conveying messages
Another factor that could limit Ms. Trump's fashion media coverage would be whether or not she chooses to promote American designers, as Michelle Obama so brilliantly did. Or whether or not she decides to take a more prominent place at certain events. "There is nothing to indicate that she intends to use fashion in giving it such a strong meaning," says Robin Givhan. For example, various media, from Jezebel to the New York Post, hastened to make a connection between the blouse with bow tie otherwise called “pussy bow” - the word “pussy” which can mean “vagina” in French - worn by Melania Trump a few days after her husband's obscene remarks on the "Access Hollywood" show were revealed to the press. She said the coincidence was fortuitous.
If Ms. Trump decides not to use fashion to get a message across as first lady, is that a message in itself? “It’s a choice, but it’s not an unusual choice,” Givhan said. During the 20th century, first ladies' outfits emphasized the qualities of workmanship rather than the aesthetic qualities of American brands. “There were American fashion designers. But it was mostly a manufacturing industry, while the style had its origins overseas, ”she adds. This began to change with Jacqueline Kennedy, whose love for French designers led to a conflict between President John Kennedy and the powerful garment unions. But she set an example for American women with her young, modern style and has been described by Bill Blass as "the greatest trailblazer of our time - doing nothing really original."
“Jackie Kennedy and Nancy Reagan were glamorous women. We are no longer in a time of true glamor. »Joan DeJean, historian
Jackie Kennedy and Nancy Reagan both came to the White House with a distinct sense of fashion, recalls historian Joan DeJean, author of The Age of Comfort (Bloomsbury Press, 2013). “They were just glamorous women. We are no longer in a time of true glamor, which is not a criticism. Michelle Obama introduced herself with a 'mother of young girls' style and it touched people because it matches the way women want to dress today. "Fashion has gone through different periods, and now it is more open and accessible to women at different stages of their lives, instead of just trying to make them look beautiful and glamorous," explains Joan DeJean. Michelle Obama played the game and took advantage of this forum with a lot of talent. "
Michelle's outfits have grossed billions
According to Robin Givhan, the United States was also fascinated by Michelle Obama's style because her choices were dynamic, surprising and intelligent. “It's the context that makes clothes so interesting. The context, but also the fact that they are often affordable. A 2010 study analyzed two hundred outfits worn by Barack Obama's wife in the year following her husband's election in 2008 and found that the First Lady made $ 2.7 billion (2.53 billion) more for the brands she had worn, from Jason Wu to J.Crew. Kate Middleton who, like Michelle Obama, is good at pairing high-end brands with more affordable ones, has a similar business impact. According to Newsweek, the "Kate Effect" would bring in £ 1 billion (1.18 billion euros) to the UK fashion industry.
By comparison, Melania Trump appears to have taken on the role of co-pilot in her husband's ostentatious and over-the-top lifestyle. In 2000, she posed almost completely nude for UK GQ magazine, wearing handcuffs and wielding a chrome pistol aboard her husband's Boeing 727. The bespoke Christian Dior Couture wedding dress she sported on the cover of Vogue is estimated at around $ 100,000.
“We're going to see all the women dress like Melania. She now represents the United States. »Carolina Herrera, designer
But if filling the void Michelle Obama left is a difficult task for any First Lady, the fashion industry may have to come to terms with the fact that Melania Trump's sartorial choices now represent a global forum. "I think in two or three months the designers will contact her, because fashion works like that," designer Carolina Herrera said recently. We're going to see all the women dress like Melania. She now represents the United States. "
Whether Melania Trump uses fashion and vice versa, she will inevitably influence the 60 million people who voted for Donald Trump. As she explained on the set of the TV show "60 Minutes" after the election: "There are a lot of responsibilities ... I am very strong, I am sure of myself, and I will follow my instincts. "
