The fact that the general public rarely sees or hears Melania Trump leads to a lot of speculation — particularly when it comes to her wardrobe, and what it may (or may not) mean. Is her penchant for wearing white a subliminal alignment with the suffragette movement? Did she wear a hot pink pussy-bow blouse to the second 2016 presidential debate to troll her husband?
No one truly knows. But despite the fact that Trump has chosen to stand next to her husband, the President, while he's insulted sexual assault victims, and has made inflammatory remarks about women, immigrants, Blacks, the news media, and more, the internet continues to impose narratives on her clothing choices. So perhaps that's why, when Anna Wintour was asked if she valued Melania's role as transatlantic fashion ambassador of sorts during an interview with Anne McElvoy on The Economist's podcast, she chose to talk about former First Lady Michelle Obama instead.
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Which first lady wore the role best? Anna Wintour talks politics and fashion with @AnneMcElvoy on “The Economist asks” podcast https://t.co/0mHlLjtf06 pic.twitter.com/gIoUpd3teo
— The Economist (@TheEconomist) July 21, 2019
“I think first lady Michelle Obama really was so incredible in every decision she made about fashion,” Wintour tells The Economist. “She supported young American designers. She supported designers, indeed, from all over the world. She was the best ambassador this country could possibly have in many ways, obviously, way beyond fashion.”
When McElvoy pushed about Melania, reminding her “But she’s not the first lady now. “So what about the one you’ve got now?”
Wintour responded: “To me she [Obama] is the example that I admire.” The longterm edtrix's reply isn't surprising considering in April she told CNN that she would “take a stand” and not give the current FLOTUS (a former model) a cover. Melania's then-spokeswoman and new White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham responded with an underhanded statement.
“To be on the cover of Vogue doesn’t define Mrs. Trump, she’s been there, done that long before she was first lady,” Grisham said. “Her role as first lady of the United States and all that she does is much more important than some superficial photo shoot and cover,” she added. “This just further demonstrates how biased the fashion magazine industry is, and shows how insecure and small-minded Anna Wintour really is.”