It's been a while since I've actually flipped through all of the issues of Vogue that line the floorboards of my bedroom, but when I stumbled across the February 2005 glossy with Melania Trump on the cover, I set it right back down. I'm only joking. Curiosity killed the cat, and I shuffled to the profile that stretched across 14 pages of the magazine. And when I tell you how much money was #SaltBae sprinkled throughout just about every hook, line, and kicker, you'd think the family was printing their own money (which, President Trump thinks you can do, by the way). So, in honour of their wedding anniversary today, let's take a look back at just how bigly the whole thing was.
The story focused on the Trump family's lavish lifestyle (how could it not), with their upcoming wedding as the main plot line. But what stood out the most to me was the sheer grandeur of her wedding dress. The gown alone, made by Christian Dior, cost an arm and a leg: we're talking upwards of £80,000, 1,500 crystals, and 300 feet of material (with rumours that it took over 550 hours to make). We're not going to make any comparisons to previous First Ladies here or anything, but the irony of that set against the backdrop of her husband's promise to help those of the lower and middle classes is...too much.
Along with then-Trump supporter and Vogue editor André Leon Talley, fashion news director Sally Singer chronicled the bride-to-be's shopping trip during Haute Couture Fashion Week in Paris. As we suspected, Singer told AP Fashion she "believed" Melania purchased the dress outright, as no designer is likely to give away something that precious and valuable. And it'd seem Mrs. Trump wasn't intimidated by the process at all. "Most women, when they encounter fashion — whether it's in a magazine or in the mall or watching the Golden Globes — they compare it to what they can wear. Melania isn't like that, probably because she was born beautiful," Singer added.
All jokes aside, it'll be interesting to see how the fashion community covers Melania's purchases (and non-purchases) throughout the next four years. And what's more peculiar is how that dichotomy will make us reflect on our own fixation with the world of gifting and dressing celebrities. Because, really, if you take the title out of it — the two really aren't that different.
If you'd like to read more of the interview (which, trust us, you do), you can still buy it on eBay for £40. Or, you can just borrow mine.
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