Melania Trump's Stunning Style Transformation Is A Sight To See

From typical '90s getups to White House  couture and all the controversies in between, the former first lady's looks have  taken us on quite the journey. Born in Slovenia in 1970, Melania Trump was  determined to escape to a better life. After being told by a street photographer that  she had what it took to become a model, she moved to New York in 1996 in pursuit  of the runway and the American dream.

Two years later, she met Donald Trump at a  Fashion Week party. He was instantly smitten and pursued her despite having a date at the  time. Though she rejected his advances at first, she eventually gave him a call and they went on  their first date at the popular nightclub Moomba.

During the early days of their courtship, Melania  sported dark chestnut locks and quintessentially '90s pencil brows. She was also far less  polished and refined than she would later become, as she paired her slinky, satin babydoll  dress with a simple lace clutch and sandals. As her relationship with Donald Trump  blossomed, there was a noticeable shift in Melania's wardrobe.

In 1999, she  began appearing more put together, as she donned chic little black dresses at glitzy  events. Her hair also appeared more controlled, as she showcased sleek ironed locks. It was  still the '90s, after all.

That same year, Melania sat down with ABC News for one  of her first high-profile interviews, as she declared that she could see her new  beau being a great president. As she put it, "He's very smart. He knows how to do [.

. . ]  business.

He would be a great leader. " And when asked about her aspirations as a  potential first lady, Melania responded: "I would be very traditional,  like Jackie Kennedy. " Though she had dreams of becoming a first lady,  Melania actually split up from Donald Trump in January 2000 as he was making a bid for the  presidency.

However, they appeared to be in the midst of reconciling just weeks later. During  this time, Melania's style shifted once again, appearing less monochromatic and more  playful. At the VH1 Vogue Fashion Awards, she sported messy beach waves and a vibrant maxi  dress with a pattern resembling mermaid scales.

During an interview with DuJour, Melania revealed that the campaign trail drew a wedge  between her and Donald. As she put it, "That was part of it. We  were apart for a few months, not long.

We got back together. He was always  thinking about it. But he loved what he did, he had his business.

He was  not saying 'Now is the time. '" Having obtained her green card in 2001, Melania  Trump was settling into life in the United States in the early 2000s. Her modeling work was  also flourishing.

In 2002, she appeared on the cover of New York Magazine, recreating  the iconic "V-J Day in Times Square" photograph in an homage to the firefighters who risked  their lives in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Melania was also adopting the styles  of the era. Fur made a major comeback at the start of the decade, and she  was game for seizing this popular, albeit controversial trend.

At a  Victoria's Secret fashion show in 2002, she gave mob wife vibes in an extremely oversized  fur coat layered over a slinky black slip dress. In January 2005, Melania and Donald Trump  tied the knot in Palm Beach at a ceremony attended by everyone from Shaquille O'Neal  to Hillary Clinton. The bride wore a $187,000 Dior dress that took 1,000 hours to assemble, and  appeared on the cover of Vogue in a bridal spread.

Following her nuptials, Melania was enjoying  A-list status and appeared at the Met Gala that spring. She stepped out on the red  carpet in a black satin Alexander McQueen gown that hugged her figure. The white train  and her updo were both giving off swan vibes.

Years later, this retro updo would become  a defining staple of her first lady looks. Melania Trump has had her fair share of fashion  faux pas through the years. In 2008, for example, she appeared at the premiere of the Sex  and the City movie in a white smock dress that missed the mark.

The unflattering number  was paired with an oversized beaded necklace, which was the style at the  time. The clunky styling and inexplicable addition of zebra print  heels made this outfit a bit of a dud. But perhaps Melania had other  things on her mind besides fashion.

Two years earlier, she gave birth to her first  child, Barron Trump. When she was asked in a 2008 Vanity Fair profile if she was planning  on having any more children, she responded, "I already have two. " *rimshot* By 2010, Melania Trump's wardrobe had  shifted to the graceful aesthetic that has since become her signature.

While attending  that year's ACE Awards, she rocked a sparkly, figure-hugging black gown and a vintage updo,  while accessorizing with diamond jewelry. Also that year, Melania sat down with New  York Magazine to discuss her favorite Big Apple pastimes. Ironically enough, she revealed  that she and her husband had recently seen Green Day's American Idiot musical on Broadway  and thoroughly enjoyed it.

The musical and the album that it's based on were written as a  protest against former president George W. Bush, and was later tweaked to reflect  the Trump administration. It was an unusual admission from the future  first lady, considering that Donald had changed his political allegiance from  Democratic to Republican the previous year.

By 2016, Donald Trump's presidential bid was  underway and Melania was gaining significant media attention for her fashion.  Throughout her husband's campaign, she was decked out in elegant attire, signifying a noteworthy shift in her style from snazzy New  Yorker-about-town to demure politician's wife. At the Republican National Convention, for  example, she donned a white shift dress with extravagant puff sleeves.

The ensemble,  which Melania put together without the help of a stylist, was made by Serbian designer  Roksanda Ilincic. As Beth Dincuff Charleston, a professor of fashion history and expert  on first lady style, explained to Elle, "Her style has matured. I think it's gotten  a little more in line with what we think of as first lady style.

I don't think we'll ever see  her in those babydoll dresses she used to wear. " "If I'm honored to serve as first lady, I will use that wonderful privilege  to try to help people in our country. " However, Melania has denied that she  had altered her fashion sense to suit first lady sensibilities.

As she insisted to Elle, "My style has stayed pretty consistent over the years. I always wear what I like and  what is appropriate for the occasion. " In January 2017, Donald Trump was sworn in  as president.

While his inauguration speech proved to be controversial, his wife was  praised for her stunning outfit. Its pastel softness was deemed a welcome contrast  to the abrasiveness of the red MAGA hats. Melania channeled Jackie Kennedy in a duck egg  blue suit with matching gloves and another updo.

She also showcased one of the most iconic names  in American fashion for this inauguration look: Ralph Lauren. But unlike Jackie  O, who was a devoted career girl, Melania appeared very much the dutiful  wife to her presidential husband. Melania later turned heads in  her inaugural gown: a cream, off-the-shoulder number by Hervé Pierre. 

As Pierre divulged to The New York Times, "She didn't want a big ball gown,  she wanted something sleek, ivory, vanilla. It had to be really, really right  because it was going to be part of history. " In 2018, Melania Trump launched the "Be  Best" campaign to educate children on the state of the world.

But soon, her compassion  for children was called into question due to some controversial style choices. That year,  President Trump was facing widespread criticism due to the detainment of child migrants. It  certainly didn't help when Melania wore a military-style Zara jacket emblazoned  with the words "I really don't care, do u?

" while visiting children at a detention  center in Texas. Her attire was criticized as heartless by human rights organizations  and opponents of the Trump administration. In an interview with ABC News, Melania confirmed  that she donned the jacket to send a message, though not necessarily one that  people thought.

As she put it, "It's obvious I didn't wear the  jacket for the children. I wore the jacket to go on the plane and  off the plane [. .

. ] After the visit, I put it back on because I see how  [the] media got obsessed about it. " "And it was for the people and for the  left-wing media who are criticizing me.

" According to Katie Rogers' 2024 book American  Woman: The Transformation of the Modern First Lady, from Hillary Clinton to Jill Biden, Melania  actually wore the jacket to send a message to her stepdaughter Ivanka, as the two of them were  reportedly locked in a perpetual power struggle. As her time as first lady came to an end,  Melania Trump's style became increasingly traditionalist. While giving a speech at  the 2020 Republican National Convention to advocate for her husband's re-election,  she looked unusually austere in a military green suit.

But in an unusual move, and  in stark contrast to her stoic appearance, she spoke about the devastating  impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. "I know many people are anxious and some feel  helpless. I want you to know you are not alone.

" Stylist Naina Singla told Express that Melania  had become noticeably more conservative since entering the White House and that this was  reflected in her outfits. As Singla explained, "She used to wear more form fitting dresses, baby  doll dresses, plunging necklines, and miniskirts. But now we would not see her wearing such styles. 

She dropped her hemline since becoming the First Lady and she wears more pants and pant suits.  Her look is more polished and professional. " By 2021, Melania Trump was out of the White  House and back to civilian life.

Though she left her post with one of the worst popularity  ratings of any first lady in recent history, her wardrobe largely evaded criticism,  with the notable exception of the green Zara jacket. Having reportedly spent over  $1 million on clothing during her tenure, she left an indelible legacy of first  lady looks. The online magazine Slate even argued that her wardrobe was the  best thing about the Trump presidency.

In the summer of 2021, Melania was snapped during  an outing with her son Barron. They were both wearing jeans and carrying handbags as they headed  out of Trump Tower. While not as playful as her babydoll ensembles, she appeared far less  austere in a casual shirt and jeans combo.

In the years that have followed her first lady  stint, Melania Trump has been showcasing her flair for understated street style in  the midst of personal turmoil. In 2023, she looked solemn as she headed to  Trump Tower following her husband's 37-count indictment pertaining to the storage of  classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort. Despite these setbacks, Melania still  made sure to make an impression with her outfit.

Styling a black  sweater over a tan midi skirt, and accessorized with two-tone ballet  flats and a classic Chanel purse, she embodied old-money Manhattanite chic as she  breezed through the city. It was the sort of outfit that wouldn't have looked out of place on  an old-school influencer attending Fashion Week. Melania Trump has been keeping a notable distance  from her husband on the 2024 campaign trail, though she did make a surprise appearance  at a polling station in Palm Beach, Florida in March.

She continued to push the  fashion envelope by wearing an Alexander McQueen white shirt dress with a large graphic floral  motif. It reportedly cost a princely $2,690. It was a bold and unconventional outfit for  the often-conservatively dressed Melania.

Some observers speculated that her choice of  attire carried a hidden meaning by signifying a transition away from her guarded public  persona. Meanwhile, The Telegraph argued that she was simply keeping up with trends, and  the floral number was her way of embracing the so-called "Florida Flash" aesthetic, as  seen on the Apple TV+ show Palm Royale.