As millions of people in cities across the United States joined the “No Kings” demonstrations and L.A. continued to resist immigration raids, Donald Trump and Melania Trump led the U.S. army’s 250th anniversary celebrations—and rang in his 79th birthday. The President told press that the huge, expensive event—which enlisted over 6,000 soldiers, teams of helicopters, tanks, and robot dogs—was an opportunity to “show off a little bit.”
A woman of few words but of more considered sartorial choices, the First Lady chose to wear a suit that spoke to their insular moment: Conservative, sharp, American made. Melania opted for an ivory and navy pinstripe twill suit with a nipped waist, double breasted jacket and skirt from U.S. designer Adam Lippes’s spring summer 2025 collection, most of which is sewn in New York. She paired it with denim Christian Louboutins.
Lippes previously dressed former First Ladies Jill Biden and Michelle Obama, as well as former vice president Kamala Harris. It’s not the first time Melania Trump has chosen his understated, elegant designs: She wore a navy suit and skirt by Lippes and paired it with a somber, flat wide-brim hat for her husband’s second inauguration.
The First Lady usually opts for international brands and stuck to that formula in first tenure, often dressed in Alexander McQueen by Sarah Burton, Christian Dior, and Dolce Gabbana, bought at retail rather than custom or made-to-measure. In recent times, she’s donned a Bottega Veneta dress for Les Miserables, and wore a black Dolce Gabbana tuxedo jacket and Ralph Lauren cummerbund with suit trousers for her White House portrait. But American designers have been tactically employed in some of her political appearances: For the presidential inauguration in 2017, she wore a blue, cashmere Ralph Lauren ensemble that ignited comparisons to Jackie Kennedy. As reflected in yesterday’s look, Melania has a penchant for hard tailoring.
The President, meanwhile, wore his usual uniform: A navy suit, white shirt, and red tie.
It was a significant, charged political event—Trump finally fulfilled his dream of having a military parade through Washington D.C, with all the expected pomp—and protesting opponents. At the same time, U.S. Marines were deployed to Los Angeles and took over security, making their first detention of a civilian on Friday. Protests against the ICE raids continue.
Melania Trump won’t miss an opportunity to reflect the Trumpian severity, spectacle, and show of force in her fashions.
