While many designers have been vocal about not wanting to dress the new first lady Melania Trump for fear of the controversy that comes along with it, one designer made it clear over the weekend that he'd be nothing but thrilled to dress the incoming FLOTUS - and as expected, took a bit of backlash for it.
On New Year's Eve, Melania opted for a black Dolce & Gabbana dress to wear to a party at the Trump family's Mar-A-Lago estate in Florida. Stefano Gabbana, one of the fashion house's co-founders, was quick to Instagram a photo of Melania in the dress, captioning the photo, "Melania Trump #DGwoman thank you #madeinitaly"
The comments section quickly became divisive, with many commenters criticizing Gabbana's decision to dress the first lady of a president-elect who remains controversial. While many accused him of not understanding the political sensitivities of dressing Melania, others rushed to the designer's defense, arguing that it wasn't necessarily a political statement. As one commenter @jaciaracarneiro put it, “I don't like Trump but I like fashion. And US first lady is stunning.”
Dolce & Gabbana is not the only label that has broken the silence by saying it would be willing to dress Melania, but it is still only one of a small handful which includes Tommy Hilfiger, Rag & Bone and Thom Browne, Teen Vogue reports.
It's important to note that Melania is also one of a few first ladies who has been able to afford to purchase designer pieces off the rack instead of needing designers to agree to dress her. Since designers won't have to give their consent for her to wear their clothes, Melania's relationship with fashion during her time in the White House could look very different than Michelle Obama's.