She finally took the hat off.
After hiding her eyes under a violet chapeau for almost the entire first day of the Trump state visit to Britain, Melania Trump let her hair down and appeared at St George's Hall for the white-tie banquet in an off-the-shoulder yellow Carolina Herrera gown with long sleeves and a lavender silk belt.
Well, she clearly understands the value of a crowning moment.
It was a relatively minimal look compared with the gold lace that covered the Princess of Wales's Phillipa Lepley gown (high-neck, long-sleeves), and even the royal blue of Queen Camilla's Fiona Clare frock, yet notably gold adjacent. In the gold family. Just as the lavender belt was sort of a pale version of the blue sashes worn by the royal hosts.
At this point, Melania has made a signature out of revealing and concealing in equal measure. She costumes herself to reflect the Trump message of gold-plated glory while at the same time armouring herself against the prying eyes of the world — and, perhaps, the crowds of protesters in Britain. All as she barely utters an audible word.
Indeed, if Day 1 of the state visit was largely a royal-immersion experience for the Trumps, calculated to cater to Trump's apparent jones for the trappings of monarchy, the first lady was doing her bit to dress the part.
Not since the inauguration has Melania's wardrobe been as much on display or told quite as much of a story. One about the power of branded regalia, the evolution of the US-Britain special relationship and just how much more guarded her self-presentation has become in the six years since the Trumps last paid an official visit to Britain.
Unlike those hats, which framed the faces of the royal women like offerings to the public, Melania's hat served to obscure her visage, much as her inaugural hat did in January. Like that hat, this one stayed firmly on throughout the day, even when she was indoors viewing the royal collection with Queen Camilla, who took her own hat off.
New York Times News Service