Many were surprised to learn First Lady Melania Trump's dress of choice — an off-the-shoulder, fitted gown — wasn't designed by a legacy American fashion house, but rather by an individual designer under his own name. In a new interview with Harper's Bazaar, Hervé Pierre, who spent many years refining his craft at Carolina Herrrera, spoke about the zero-to-a-hundred response he's received towards the gown he created for the new FLOTUS.
"Immediately my phone went completely ballistic with interview requests," the designer told Harper's Bazaar. "I had investors and bankers in Dubai calling, people opened fake Instagram accounts under my name. Even Target called to say, 'We are so excited you are doing a line for us.' I'm like, 'Well I had no idea I was doing one.'"
Apparently, Mrs. Trump's team first came to Pierre to discuss the possibility of him working as her stylist. However, FLOTUS caught wind of his designs, and decided she'd rather collaborate with him directly on the Inaugural Ball gown. (Pierre credits Mrs. Trump's knowledge of the industry from her time as a model as helping throughout the process of picking out fabrics, narrowing down a silhouette, and constructing a dress from scratch).
The designer noted that, like many White House fashion moments before it, Mrs. Trump's Inaugural gown was symbolic of what she'll bring to the White House. "Her next four years as First Lady are going to be, like this gown, straight to the point, perhaps with a single measured detail," he said. "I believe it was something modern, which was not done before—thank God. The lines are as sleek as a paper cut; the curves of the skirt are fluid, yet the overall shape is sharp and intense. For me it reflects her personality."
He also had some thoughts on the whole debate surrounding who would dress Trump now that she's FLOTUS. "I'm not doing politics, I'm doing dresses," Pierre said. "We are not suddenly brokering a big deal between China and Russia. If people don't want to dress her, I think it's sad, but I was honored. I don't criticize these people — it's their choice, and that's the beauty of democracy."
You can read the full interview over at Harper's Bazaar.
This story was originally published on January 21, 2017.
Just one day into her husband's presidency, we've already seen first lady Melania Trump in two very tailored outfits (one for a wreath-laying ceremony yesterday and one for the official inauguration this morning) and one very sparkly number for a candlelight dinner. But those outfits were just a preview of things to come. What we were all waiting for was the grand reveal — and we got it when Trump stepped out onto the stage at the Liberty Ball wearing a floor-length white sheath dress by Hervé Pierre. "It’s an honor to dress the First Lady," Pierre said in a statement. "I was actually lucky because over my 20 years in the U.S., I dressed all the first ladies: Mrs. Clinton at Oscar [de la Renta], Mrs. Bush and Mrs. Obama at Carolina Herrera. So I feel lucky and honored to dress Melania Trump, but this time under my name." Pierre worked as creative director at Carolina Herrera until last February. The designer adds that the dress was designed in collaboration with Trump. He's also responsible for styling Trump's powder-blue morning look, so it looks like we've got a stylist-in-chief on our hands. Trump took the stage wearing a white off-the-shoulder gown with a high slit reminiscent of a very Angelina fashion moment. It had an architectural ruffle that flowed from shoulder to waist and down to the hem of her dress. Trump left her statement jewelry (save her engagement ring) at home and finished the look with a thin, red belt and matching heels. That's three outfits and three American designers. While many critics saw dressing Trump as an "ethical dilemma" for designers, there's no denying that any designer that dresses a first lady is immediately written into the annals of history (not to mention the dress gets a pretty prominent spot in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History). Love it or hate it, tonight's Pierre gown will be joining some good company, namely Jason Wu and James Galanos.
Just one day into her husband's presidency, we've already seen first lady Melania Trump in two very tailored outfits (one for a wreath-laying ceremony yesterday and one for the official inauguration this morning) and one very sparkly number for a candlelight dinner. But those outfits were just a preview of things to come. What we were all waiting for was the grand reveal — and we got it when Trump stepped out onto the stage at the Liberty Ball wearing a floor-length white sheath dress by Hervé Pierre. "It’s an honor to dress the First Lady," Pierre said in a statement. "I was actually lucky because over my 20 years in the U.S., I dressed all the first ladies: Mrs. Clinton at Oscar [de la Renta], Mrs. Bush and Mrs. Obama at Carolina Herrera. So I feel lucky and honored to dress Melania Trump, but this time under my name." Pierre worked as creative director at Carolina Herrera until last February. The designer adds that the dress was designed in collaboration with Trump. He's also responsible for styling Trump's powder-blue morning look, so it looks like we've got a stylist-in-chief on our hands. Trump took the stage wearing a white off-the-shoulder gown with a high slit reminiscent of a very Angelina fashion moment. It had an architectural ruffle that flowed from shoulder to waist and down to the hem of her dress. Trump left her statement jewelry (save her engagement ring) at home and finished the look with a thin, red belt and matching heels. That's three outfits and three American designers. While many critics saw dressing Trump as an "ethical dilemma" for designers, there's no denying that any designer that dresses a first lady is immediately written into the annals of history (not to mention the dress gets a pretty prominent spot in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History). Love it or hate it, tonight's Pierre gown will be joining some good company, namely Jason Wu and James Galanos.