What Did Melania Trump Wear to the Inauguration Ball: The Story Behind the Dress

When Donald Trump took the stage for the first dance of his presidency in 2017, the world wasn't just looking at him. Everyone was staring at the woman in the vanilla-colored gown. Honestly, the fashion world had been buzzing for months about who would get the gig, and the answer turned out to be a bit of a curveball.

So, what did Melania Trump wear to the inauguration ball? She wore a custom, off-the-shoulder vanilla crepe gown designed by Hervé Pierre in collaboration with Melania herself.

It wasn't a big-name house like Oscar de la Renta or Chanel, which some had predicted. Instead, it was a sleek, architectural piece that felt more like a "modern classic" than a traditional Cinderella moment.

The Collaboration with Hervé Pierre

Most people think celebrities just get sent a bunch of dresses and pick one. That’s not how this went down. Melania actually had a huge hand in the design process. Hervé Pierre, who had previously worked at big houses like Carolina Herrera and Balmain, wasn't even a household name on his own yet when he took this on.

He had only two weeks.

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Yeah, you read that right. According to Pierre, the timeline was incredibly tight because the First Lady-elect was focused on so many other things. They met, they sketched, and they talked fabric. Because Melania was a former model, she actually understood things like "construction" and "drape." She didn't just want a pretty dress; she wanted something "straight to the point."

The Specific Details of the Gown

If you look closely at the photos from that night at the Liberty Ball, the dress is deceptively simple.

• The Fabric: It was made of six-ply vanilla silk crepe.
• The Details: It featured a very thin claret (red) silk ribbon at the waist.
• The Cut: An off-the-shoulder neckline with a structural ruffle that cascaded down the front.
• The Slit: A pretty daring leg slit that gave it a bit of a French vibe.

It was crisp. It was white (well, vanilla). It was "no fuss," as Pierre put it.

Comparing 2017 to the 2025 Inauguration

Fast forward to January 2025. People were dying to see if she would stick to the same "minimalist" energy. She did, but with a twist. For the 2025 inaugural balls, Melania once again teamed up with Hervé Pierre.

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This time, the look was a bit more graphic. She wore a white strapless gown featuring a sharp, geometric black trim. To top it off, she restyled a vintage 1955 Harry Winston diamond brooch as a choker. Basically, she went from the "softness" of the 2017 vanilla look to a high-contrast, black-and-white ensemble that felt much more "armored" and "stately."

While her daytime outfit in 2025 (that navy Adam Lippes coat and the giant Eric Javits hat) became a meme almost instantly, the ball gown was generally praised for being sophisticated. It showed a clear evolution. In 2017, she was the newcomer evoking Jackie Kennedy. In 2025, she was the veteran who knew exactly what her "brand" was.

Why the 2017 Gown Still Matters

You can actually go see the 2017 dress right now if you're in D.C. Melania donated it to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History later that year. It’s part of the "First Ladies" collection, sitting alongside iconic pieces from Martha Washington to Michelle Obama.

The Smithsonian curators love this stuff because it's "instant language." The dress told a story about a First Lady who wanted to appear tailored, controlled, and perhaps a bit removed from the political fray. She didn't choose a dress that screamed "politics"; she chose one that screamed "style."

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What Critics Said (Then and Now)

Not everyone loved it. Some fashion critics at the time called it "boring" or "too safe." They wanted more "pizzazz." But honestly? That was the point. By choosing a relatively unknown designer (at the time) and a minimalist silhouette, she avoided the "flashy" label that many of her husband's critics were ready to pounce on.

She played it smart.

Key Takeaways for Your Own Style

You don't need a White House budget to take a few notes from Melania’s inaugural playbook.

1. Tailoring is everything. The reason that 2017 dress looked so expensive wasn't just the silk; it was the fact that it fit her like a second skin.
2. Stick to a "Uniform." Melania knows she looks good in architectural, clean lines. She doesn't do ruffles or busy patterns.
3. One "pop" is enough. The tiny red ribbon in 2017 and the black trim in 2025 prove you don't need a ton of accessories if the lines of the dress are strong.

If you’re planning a big event or just want to understand why certain outfits "stick" in the public memory, look at the 2017 Pierre gown. It wasn't just a dress; it was a carefully constructed image of what she wanted her tenure to look like: sleek, silent, and very, very expensive.

To see the gown in person and understand the full history of First Lady fashion, you should plan a visit to the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. Their "First Ladies" exhibit is one of the most popular in the city for a reason—it’s the only place where you can see the literal fabric of American political history up close.