A stylish first lady and her ‘ode to the abaya’
Melania Trump wins fashion plaudits for on-trend modesty
RIYADH // High- profile women are accustomed to having their fashion choices scrutinised. But when the woman is an ex-model, married to the US president and accompanying him to Saudi Arabia, fashion becomes political.
The question of what first lady Melania Trump would wear on her husband’s first overseas trip as president was far from a trivial matter. Would she observe local custom and cover her hair? Would she cause offence if she didn’t? Would it cast a pall over a crucial milestone in her husband’s presidency? Mrs Trump boarded Marine One in Washington in a close-fitting, tomato- red leather skirt and sky-high stiletto heels. She emerged in Riyadh with her hair flowing free and wearing what appeared to be a full- length, long-sleeved black dress but was in fact a wide-legged jumpsuit, with a wide gold belt cinching in the waist – an outfit that succeeded on many levels, said The National’s fashion expert and stylist, Hafsa Lodi.
“It was clearly an ode to the abaya, in black, covering her to the wrist and ankles, with a modest keyhole opening at the neckline. It’s a very classy, dignified outfit and the gold belt gives it a glamorous touch. This is the sort of outfit that many Middle Eastern women would wear.”
Hafsa also praised the blackand-white full-length dress chosen by the president’s daughter, Ivanka, who is accompanying her father on his nine-day trip. But the Trump women are not only respecting local custom, they are also tapping into a trend, Hafsa said.
“Modesty in dress is currently very much on trend, especially in the West, so the decision to wear high-necked, full-length outfits may not be as calculated as we think. The fact is that modest dressing is in style,” she said. Neither Melania nor Ivanka wore head coverings, but neither did British prime minister Theresa May nor German chancellor Angela Merkel on their recent visits to Riyadh. Nor did previous first ladies Laura Bush or Michelle Obama, or Hillary Clinton in 2012, when she was Barack Obama’s secretary of state.
Mrs Obama’s decision to not cover her hair during the 2015 visit sparked some backlash on Saudi social media – and from Donald Trump. He tweeted: “Many people are saying it was wonderful that Mrs Obama refused to wear a scarf in Saudi Arabia. But they were insulted. We have enuf [sic] enemies.”
The US state department’s website advises women that they risk detention in Saudi Arabia and a confrontation with the country’s morality police, the mutawwa, if they do not conform and cover their heads. However, the Saudi foreign ministry was widely quoted as saying the country did not demand adherence to any specific dress regulations.