After all the discussion, criticism, and media coverage of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky‘s non-suit attire for a White House visit last week, the significance of what is worn in the political sphere is being scrutinized at new levels.
For President Donald Trump’s Tuesday night speech before the joint session of Congress, the dress code appeared to be all-business. Trump and Vice President JD Vance sported dark suits, as did many other politicians from both parties. But some members of Congress donned blue and yellow neckties and scarves as accessories in support of Ukraine, after the Trump administration paused military aid to the country.
U.S. First Lady Melania Trump (R) arrives prior to US President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on March 4, 2025.
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To watch her husband push his Republican agenda on Capitol Hill, First Lady Melania Trump stuck with another one of her structured fashion choices with a Dior tweed suit in dark caviar gray.
After the markets had tumbled following POTUS’ newly imposed tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico, FLOTUS went with a boardroom-worthy choice from last fall’s Dior collection. The choice of a French luxury label could be considered off-message, given that “the Renewal of the American Dream” was the theme of the president’s speech. Not your average secretary suit, the Maria Grazia Chiuri-designed ensemble has a belted jacket with a subtle scarf-like effect and a pencil skirt. Coincidentally – or perhaps not – the European house staged its fall 2025 runway show in Paris on Tuesday. FLOTUS knows the label well, having worn Dior to a few of the inaugural weekend events in January – as did Ivanka Trump. The Slovenian-born former model also wore Dior on election day last fall.
U.S. First Lady Melania Trump arrives to U.S. President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2025.
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And the Trumps need no introduction to Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive officer of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, who attended Trump’s inauguration with his wife Hélène, his daughter Delphine and son Alexandre. Delphine Arnault is chairman and CEO of Dior and is also a member of LVMH‘s board of directors and executive committee.
In light of the U.S. administration’s pause on military aid to Ukraine and concerns about a global trade war, the First Lady’s toned-down attire was one of the more subdued cues from the administration following a rocky few days that started with the dust-up at the White House between POTUS and Zelensky. FLOTUS’ stylist Herve Pierre described the First Lady’s suit Tuesday night “as a nice way to mix business and femininity. It’s appropriate for the occasion.”
U.S. First Lady Melania Trump at President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on March 4, 2025.
AFP via Getty Images
Pierre declined to comment about the controversy that arose after Zelensky chose not to wear a suit for his recent White House visit. Zelensky opted for a black three-button knitted long-sleeve polo shirt and black pants from the Ukrainian designer Elvira Gasanova’s menswear label Damirli, and black boots. During that Oval Office chat, Zelensky was asked several times by Vance about his dressed-down attire (and his gratitude to the U.S. for military support,). Before the sit-down talk, Trump greeted the Ukrainian leader outside with, “You’re all dressed up today.” And the chief White House correspondent for Real America’s Voice Brian Glenn repeatedly questioned Zelensky about not wearing a suit.
Gasanova told WWD on March 1 that she had made a special version of the shirt for Zelensky with the emblem of a tryzub, a shield with a trident that is the coat of arms that Ukraine adopted in February 1992. He has dressed casually since Russian forces invaded Ukraine as a sign of solidarity for the Ukrainian military forces. Gasanova praised that decision and told WWD that it is widely believed in Ukraine that a president should not wear a suit during a time of war. She also mentioned that online sales for the Damirli knitted polo that Zelensky wore had increased in recent days with a lot coming from American consumers on Sunday.
