Melania Trump and Jill Biden, the fight of the "Ladies" while awaiting the verdict
In the race for the White House, the confrontation is also done via the wardrobes of Melania Trump and Jill Biden whose styles are opposed.
On October 22, the world attends the last presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. In the ring, the incumbent president and the Democratic candidate face each other in a ruthless but more measured verbal jousting than when they first met in September. In the stands, it is a game of a different nature that also takes place between the wives of the two politicians. A style duel where the seriousness of Melania Trump's black tuxedo dress contrasts with the glamor of Jill Biden's multicolored floral version. The opposition jumps out in the eyes of those who see it as the ultimate symbol of the difference between the wives of the two candidates. A matter of style already present during the first debate which also shows that they have a very distinct approach when it comes to making clothing speak.
Melania Trump's taste for luxury
Since arriving at the White House in 2017, Melania Trump has displayed sharp and daring stylistic choices. And it is not his recent appearances at the National Convention of the Republican Party that will say the opposite. We have seen him in turn wearing an apple green pleated dress from Valentino, a khaki suit from Alexander McQueen or a fuchsia puffed dress by Jason Wu. A designer wardrobe that shows the First Lady's taste for luxury brands. And what if some designers, including Tom Ford and Marc Jacobs, refuse to dress it. Her so-called off-duty outfits are no exception to the rule: Melania Trump likes to bet on designer pieces. We especially remember his Balmain plaid shirt for gardening at the White House. Accessories are not left out: she rarely leaves her Birkin bags. An appetite for luxury that has not escaped the American magazine InStyle, which in July 2018 listed the appearances of six different versions of the handbag signed Hermès. The value of his collection is said to be around 114,000 dollars (96,000 euros).
This interest in the beautiful work sometimes earned him harsh criticism. During a trip to Sicily for the G7 in May 2017, his jacket with embroidered flowers from Dolce & Gabbana caused a lot of ink to flow. A coin estimated at 51,500 dollars (approximately 43,500 euros) whose value approaches the average salary that an American citizen earns per year (63,100 dollars). "She pays for all her clothes herself", defended Stephanie Grisham, spokesperson for the first lady, in the Bustle media. An article in the New York Times also mentions that the former model offers the services of French stylist Hervé Pierre who, in addition to creating unique pieces for her, is in charge of shopping anonymously for her at brands like Michael Kors and Dior.
Jill Biden's great mix
For her part, Jill Biden displays a more discreet style. Long accustomed to evolving in political circles, Joe Biden's wife relies on both preppy and casual outfits. Often seen in a skirt suit or a knee-length dress, the American teacher sometimes allows herself some daring that adds glamor to her style. In October 2016, during her appearance on the set of the talk show "Late Night with Seth Meyers", she wore a black leather dress and a pair of electric blue pumps. A look that has succeeded, very applauded on the Web.
But Jill Biden's dress style is no less faithful to the one she wore during her first media hours. Adept of color and prints for years, she continues in this direction. Recently, during a meeting in Florida, she unveiled a multicolored floral dress. She was also seen in an ultraglamour Brandon Maxwell fir green dress at the Democratic National Convention.
Clothing as a political weapon
If the styles of Melania Trump and Jill Biden are opposed, the two women have in common to exhibit a diplomatic fashion. Donald Trump's wife experienced it in June 2018, during a trip to Maryland to visit undocumented children held up at the border between the United States and Mexico. That day, she wears a khaki jacket from the Zara brand. On the back, we can read “I really don't care, do you?” (“I don't care, do you?”). Its detractors see it as a mark of casualness when others prefer to read a message directly addressed to "the invasive" Ivanka Trump, his daughter-in-law. The first lady of the United States will explain later that it was a snub intended "to drive the liberals mad". However, this jacket will remain in the collective mind a diplomatic-fashion faux pas.
So far, Jill Biden's locker room has not sparked much controversy. The wife of the Democratic candidate seems to have mastered the linguistic function of clothing. She manages to make it a voice during the primary elections of the state of Delaware, in September: the wife of Joe Biden thus put on black thigh boots Stuart Weitzman, on the side of which is inscribed in capital letters the word "vote". A detail that went viral on the Web in a few hours. The teacher also took a position on eco-responsibility during the first presidential debate between her husband and that of Melania Trump, at the end of September. Her Gabriella Hearst dress, worn several times, is produced in an eco-responsible way. A seemingly innocent gesture but with obvious symbolic significance in the face of a Donald Trump who does not hide his climate-skepticism. Like what in politics too, everything is a matter of style.
