Ivanka Trump's Fashion Fail Takes Inspo From One Of Melania's Biggest Style Disasters
Ivanka Trump was taking a fashion cue from her stepmother, Melania Trump, when she made a fashion flub. She sported an enormous statement belt in early January 2026, while taking time away with her family. Sharing a carousel of photos on Instagram, one picture of Ivanka showed her wearing a gray maxi dress, cinched at the waist with a wide brown belt, as she stood with her husband, Jared Kushner. "Starting the year surrounded by family, fresh air, and grateful hearts," she wrote in the caption of this photo collection.
For reference, statement belts had the fashion world in a chokehold around the early 2000s. Millennials will remember all too well the time when nearly every celebrity stepped out with an enormous wide belt slung around their hips, as either a statement piece, or an attempt at creating a cinched silhouette. The only problem with the whopping belt is that it added more bulk to an area that people traditionally like to shrink. What makes Ivanka's belt fumble so intriguing is that Melania has gotten called out numerous times for also wearing these belts. At the 2020 Republican National Convention, Melania wore an outdated double-buckle belt that contributed to the outfit becoming one of Melania's worst looks of all time. She's done it numerous times and this oversized accessory is one that Melania needs to ditch from her wardrobe – and clearly one that Ivanka needs to reconsider as well.
What is with the Trump women and their walloping belts?
Ivanka Trump and Melania Trump may swap outfit ideas, or at the very least, accessory notes. Both women have repeatedly opted for big blocky belts as statement pieces to their looks. Ivanka wore a brown belt to the Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans in February 2025. Months later, Melania wore a lavender belt with her yellow Carolina Herrera dress for the state banquet at Windsor Castle in September 2025. The entire look was so outrageous, that there's no doubt Melania's dress is one of her worst style choices to date – and the belt certainly didn't help it.
The common thread between Melania, Ivanka, and their belts, is that they opt for pieces that veer away from what's aligned with modern trends. Taken in a positive light, this can show an independent spirit that's laudable. They move to the beats of their own drums. On another hand, it shows a recurring attitude that they're above conventional decorum. In other words, these belts show that both women believe that the rules don't apply to them, a perhaps more sinister attitude that the Trump family seems to endorse. There are allegations that Ivanka and Jared Kushner used their political positions for personal gain, as well as allegations of nepotism, especially during Donald Trump's first term. For Melania, it comes up in discussions about her own immigration to the U.S. A piece of clothing is never just a piece of clothing.