melania trump

April 20, 2018

CPD Advisory Board Member Markos Kounalakis says First Lady Barbara Bush made a difference and shares some thoughts on ways Melania can too.

Melania Trump has booked her first solo foreign trip as first lady, leading the U.S. delegation in September for the Olympics-style games for wounded military personnel. [...] More than 550 individuals from 17 countries are expected to compete in 12 sports in the September games. The figure includes about 90 American athletes.

For the last day of her state visit to the UK,  which included an official farewell to The Queen and Prince Phillip at Buckingham Palace followed by a tour of the Francis Crick Institute, Letizia wore an ivory prom-style skirt by one of the UK's best-loved high street labels, Topshop. [...] Diplomatic dressing is a favored sartorial tactic of many of the world's most high-profile women, who use their style choices to pay tribute to the places and countries they visit.

When Melania Trump visited the Vatican alongside her husband and stepdaughter Ivanka Trump on Tuesday, she wore a black veil and dress to follow Vatican tradition for formal visits. While in Brussels on Thursday, Melania sported a beige skirt suit by Belgian fashion house Maison Ullens. She has also been making her own diplomatic choices, including opting not to wear a headscarf during her visit to Saudi Arabia last Saturday. She chose to end this trip, though, with a nod to Gabbana, an iconic Italian fashion house.

This week’s PD News focused on President Trump’s trip overseas, from the importance of Saudi Arabia to Melania Trump’s international debut as First Lady. 

While most of the focus for the next nine days will be on President Donald Trump as he makes his first international trip as commander in chief, there will be plenty of eyes on first lady Melania Trump, also set to bow on the global stage. [...] Trump's schedule will be packed with many events alongside her husband, but she will also make excursions on her own. If her handful of public events stateside are any indication, Trump could spend time at schools, hospitals, or museums, just like she did before with Queen Rania of Jordan and China's Madam Peng. 

Madison Jones on fashion as a public diplomacy tool.

Ambassadors and guests from around the world gathered to kick off Donald J. Trump’s January 20 inauguration. Sister Cities International’s January 17 inaugural ball was among the first of many inaugural festivities in Washington as Trump becomes the 45th U.S. president.