Melania Trump Wears New York-made Adam Lippes Suit for U.S. Army Grand Military Parade

Yahoo

05-07-2025

As thousands continued to march in 'No Kings' protests in cities nationwide, President Donald Trump and the First Lady kicked off the celebrations of the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary with the Grand Military Parade Saturday night.
The much-anticipated multimillion dollar event started early due to a rainy forecast, and it followed a day of festivities in the Beltway. Fireworks were planned to cap off Saturday's all-day celebration, which marked the establishment of the U.S. Army on June 14, 1775, by the Second Continental Congress. With George Washington serving as its first commander, it was then known as the Continental Army.
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More than 6,000 soldiers, WWII Sherman tanks, Black Hawk helicopters and various other military vehicles and aircraft were part of the proceedings. The anniversary extravaganza coincided with the 79th birthday of President Trump, who stuck with his favored unofficial uniform of a navy suit, white shirt and red tie.
The First Lady also kept things conservative wearing an ivory and navy pinstriped double-breasted blazer with silver-tone buttons and a coordinating long skirt from Adam Lippes. The Buffalo-born designer was also her resource for the navy and white ensemble that she wore to her husband's swearing-in ceremony in January. Just as that tailored navy silk wool coat, coordinating pencil skirt and an ivory silk crepe blouse were made in New York City, so too was the ivory suit that she wore to Saturday's parade. The 55-year-old former model polished up the look with Christian Louboutin denim pumps.
Her ensemble was believed to have been purchased in an Adam Lippes store in New York City. The Lippes-designed pinstriped jacket retails for $2,490 on Farfetch's site.
While Jill Biden, Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush and several other former first ladies were known to work directly with designers personally or via staffers to choose specific outfits for key appearances, FLOTUS' stylist Herve Pierre is a frequent retail shopper. That became a more common practice during Trump's first administration after some American designers spoke out about not wanting to dress the First Lady, if asked.
Although Vice President JD Vance's wife Usha was born in California, she has purchased some clothes for key appearance in the tristate area. The strapless Shoshanna architectural black dress that she chose for the premiere of 'Les Miserables' at the Kennedy Center earlier this week was made in New York. The $635 frock was bought by her stylist at the Windswept Boutique in New Jersey. On Saturday, the Second Lady sported a short-sleeve white blouse, and red pants that coordinated with her young daughter Mirabel's fire engine red dress. While her husband opted for the standard navy suit, white, shirt and red tie, their sons Ewan and Vivek were more dressed down in buttoned-down shirts and pants.
Lippes is known to be a more low-key designer than some of the out-and-about fashion forces, who are highly active on social media and on New York City's social scene. Having developed a quiet luxury brand and opened stores in New York, Palm Beach and Houston, the designer has been working in the industry for a few decades. He first connected with Pierre in the mid-1990s, when they both worked at Oscar de la Renta, who suited up both Democratic and Republican first ladies during his lifetime.
After Donald Trump's inauguration in January, Lippes told WWD that he had learned from de la Renta that 'there was no greater honor than to dress a first lady, whether for the inauguration or on down. Oscar is widely credited as styling Mrs. Clinton, but it was Mrs. Bush before that. And Oscar was actually friendly with both,' Lippes said at that time.
'So I've always had a far-reaching respect for the first family that was certainly instilled in me from Oscar. 'We dress who's in power' was I think maybe what he used to say. 'That's my job,'' he continued, 'In the ability to showcase what we can do, there's no greater stage.'
While the First Couples were pretty much business casual at the U.S. Army's celebratory parade, the hundreds of thousands of 'No Kings' marchers and protesters that turned up in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Boise and other U.S. cities were dressed more casually with many wearing T-shirts, sweatshirts, jeans and sundresses. The day of 'No Kings' protests was organized by a group called 50-50-1. Media requests to 50-50-1 were unreturned on Saturday.
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