FRANCE/MELANIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “In the end she played the part, donned the costume — and gave everyone something to chew on. Melania Trump, who orchestrated the first state dinner of the Trump administration, a.k.a. the most fancy ceremonial evening since the inauguration, stood next to her husband and welcomed President Emmanuel Macron of France and his wife Brigitte while wearing a Chanel haute couture dress of black Chantilly lace, hand painted with silver, and embroidered with crystal and sequins. Mrs. Trump’s dress looked kind of like sparkling sleeveless body armor and reflected a desire to pay homage to the guests of honor and what may be a new ‘special relationship’ (identified thusly by President Trump earlier in the day while brushing what he identified as dandruff off Mr. Macron’s shoulders). Chanel is, after all, a brand that is almost synonymous with French fashion, and couture, a specific segment of the fashion industry that exists formally only in France. It was the first time Mrs. Trump had worn Chanel at a major public occasion since becoming first lady, and one of the rare times that a first lady’s office has advertised the fact she was wearing couture.”
–Vanessa Friedman, “Melania Trump, at the State Dinner in Chanel, Gave Everyone Something to Chew On,” The New York Times online, April 25, 2018