Heels and a hat ...first ladies playing for high stakes
WITH their husbands rarely missing a chance to embrace each other, at least the presidential wives could be relied on to engage in some old-fashioned international rivalry.
The relationship between Melania Trump, 47 – who lived in Paris as a model and is said to speak French perfectly – and Brigitte Macron, 65, has always been sharpened by an element of wardrobe competitiveness.
Yesterday both women opted for chic white outfits and impressively towering stilettoes as the visitors were welcomed to the White House.
But it was the American First Lady who stole the show with her dramatic, oversized hat.
Created, like her white suit, by US designer Michael Kors it immediately drew comparisons on social media to those worn by Dame Joan Collins as Alexis Carrington on the flashy 1980s TV soap Dynasty.
The hat’s wide flat brim, however, defeated the efforts of her husband to kiss her. During the ceremony, Mr Trump leant in towards his wife but had to content himself with kissing the air some inches from her cheeks.
He successfully managed to plant two kisses on the hatless Mrs Macron.
Mr Macron appeared similarly wary of navigating Mrs Trump’s hat brim, simply shaking hands with her when he finished his speech.
Perhaps because she was short enough to get in under the brim, only Mrs Macron – whose outfit came from her favourite fashion house, Louis Vuitton – managed to double kiss the First Lady.