Melania Trump Outfits That Totally Missed The Mark In 2025

Melania Trump is a former fashion model turned political figure thanks to her marriage to President Donald Trump. Her love of beautiful clothes clearly comes through her wardrobe choices, which tend to be classic, feminine, and neutral-colored. Having grown up during the era, she loves an '80s-inspired moment with a big belt or structured suit, and she's not afraid of high glamour, even in her day time looks. For the first lady, fashion isn't just about looking nice; it's about crafting a symbolic statement. "What interests me in this relationship is not just finding pretty clothes — a lot of people can do that," explained her stylist Hervé Pierre in a 2017 interview with The New York Times. "It's more about the legacy of this woman."

But, the truth is the transition to political dressing hasn't always been smooth for Trump, who has made a few historic gaffes in her efforts to look the part of a president's wife. Even upon returning to the White House for a second term, she's had some major misfires that would be better suited to the pages of an avant garde fashion magazine. "Some of the more 'high fashion' stuff she wears is a bit much for my tastes," observed one Reddit commenter. Glancing at her worst outfits from 2025, it's easy to see why one would draw this conclusion.

The trench coat that Melania Trump wore when she stepped off Air Force One in London this year was a mess. First, the floor-grazing length was absurd, and immediately placing it among Melania's most ill-fitting outfits. Not only does it seem like the coat was cumbersome to wear, it also looks comical, as if she took a day off and sent three children stacked inside a trench coat to the U.K. in her place. Coupled with the oversized sunglasses, she looks more like a villain from the "Rocky and Bullwinkle" cartoons than a proper public figure. Please girl, we are begging you to get that coat to a tailor.

While attending the U.K. State Banquet in September 2025, Melania Trump wore one of her worst style choices to date. She looked like an oversized marshmallow Peep in a floor-length yellow gown accented by a lavender belt. It's not just that this color palette would be better suited to a spring occasion than a fall one, but this dress did little to flatter the First Lady. The colors clashed with her true summer color palette, while the contrasting lavender belt just added the appearance of width to her waist and hips. "It was too bright and plain," wrote one Reddit commenter. "She looked like a banana."

Melania Trump looked like she was in mourning at President Donald Trump's second inauguration when she showed up wearing a severe-looking suit and hat. The dark navy color and sharp lines were a drastic pivot from the cheerful, feminine attire that first ladies typically don for the January festivities — and even from the sky blue coat that Melania herself wore for the first inauguration. The hat was also an odd choice for an event where she was so photographed, since it alternately obscured her face or created weird shadows. Overall, the look veered way too far into costume territory to qualify as good fashion. "Temu Mary Poppins," suggested one Reddit commenter, while others compared her to Carmen San Diego and the Hamburglar.

When it comes to fashion, Melania Trump gravitates toward classic choices. Normally that works well for her, but someone should probably tell her that graphic black-and-white doesn't necessarily mean timeless. One could argue the Herve Pierre dress she wore with this palette for the Inaugural Ball was disaster. The gown featured a black ribbon unraveling around the bodice for a deconstructed look, but its awkward placement seemed more unfinished than fashion-forward. Even worse, the black Harry Winston ribbon choker around her neck too so closely matched the ribbon on the dress that it seemed as if she had accidentally wrapped the tail of the gown around herself rather than carefully selecting a piece of jewelry to complement the strapless neckline.

Melania Trump grabbed another statement hat for a state visit to Windsor Castle. Like the wide brimmed lid she wore for the 2025 Inauguration, this piece was enormous, obscured her face, and was paired with an uber structured suit. The dark purple color was slightly less dour than the navy hat she wore before, but it still looked a little too intense for the occasion. Although one could make the case that hats are common formal attire in Britain, the downturned edges were a strange choice for a public figure who knows she'll be photographed.

The First Lady looked like G.I. Barbie when she appeared in Texas to survey damage from the July floods. From the head-to-toe olive drab to the stark black ball cap, this outfit was an odd collision of necessarily casual and Melania Trump's default elegance. Even with the muted colors, everything looked just a bit too stiff and crisp to be believably rough-and-tumble. Instead, the vibe was closer to a ceremonial military uniform, which was way off-base for her high fashion personal brand.

It looks like Melania Trump could have used a refresher course on color-blocking before she donned this high contrast ensemble to announce the debut of a commemorative Barbara Bush stamp. While black-and-white make for a perennially classic color combination, this black on top and white on the bottom approach doesn't say fashion-forward as much as it says cater waiter. Instead of integrating either color through the full outfit, the two distinct blocks of color broke up her vertical line, splitting her half visually. It looks like she just threw some separates on without styling them into a cohesive outfit.

Most women opt for a dress on Easter, but Melania Trump decided to be different by wearing a light-colored trench coat to celebrate the resurrection. Coat dresses are a popular choice for political figures, especially during the colder months, but the draped jacket lacked the heft to pass a proper look. Trench coats might be a must-have outerwear staple, but Melania Trump's choice to wear one for Easter was all wrong for the context. Instead of a festive, feminine style, this coat was blandly colored, boring, and altogether too casual.