On Tuesday evening, most congresswomen wore white to the State of the Union address, but Melania Trump decided to wear a deep navy blue wool coat by Burberry. America's first lady raised eyebrows with her choice of accessories though, as she wore a single glove on her left hand. That's right, Melania chose to ditch the standard two-glove rule, and wore just one during the evening. Twitter was, to put it gently, perplexed, with one viewer tweeting: "Melania Trump is wearing a black leather glove only on her left hand. Weird?" While another commented: "Is @FLOTUS trying to emulate Michael Jackson with the one glove?"
Hervé Pierre, Melania's stylist, told WWD that the outfit was meant to include both gloves, since the accessory made the coat dress look "very First Lady and very appropriate." There's still no real reason why Melania didn't take off both gloves, but perhaps she wanted to keep one hand free so that she could shake hands with people. She was later photographed with both gloves off.
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Interestingly, Burberry's classic coat is inspired by the military styles worn by officers during World War ||. The classic style is crafted from weighty wool, and features peak lapels, a nipped-in waist and nautical embossed buttons. It flares out gently from the waist to create a feminine A-line shape. Priced at £1,690 and is available in all sizes.
Discussing the Burberry coat dress, Hervé said: “I don’t think it’s very glamorous. It’s very sharp and straight to the point. There is no room for fluff or something cute. That is not the time that we are living in. I think she is a daring woman, but it has to be right. It is not a costume."
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Talking about his role as Melania's stylist, Hervé once told Vogue: "My role is to dress the First Lady and advise her – I’m not a stylist; I am an advisor, and she is adamant about that. Who, as a free woman, is going to be told what to wear? It’s a conversation, a collaboration. Without intellectualising, my advice is respectful and it makes sense."
The previous year Melania did in fact wear white, but didn't discuss the suffragettes or the #MeToo movement which was a huge talking point at the time.
