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All the Times Ivanka Trump’s Fashion Choices as First Daughter Started a Conversation

2 minute read

During her time as the First Daughter, Ivanka Trump’s wardrobe has shown that she’s well-aware that what she wears matters. And much like her actions since she’s become First Daughter, her wardrobe has given the public plenty to discuss.

Taking a page from her father’s “Buy American, Hire American” proposal, the adviser to President Donald Trump often chooses to wear American fashion designers that skew toward the mainstream and that have also been favored by First Ladies in the past: Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, Carolina Herrera, and Oscar de la Renta, the latter of which made Ivanka’s white inauguration ceremony jumpsuit.

That’s not to say that wearing American completely ensures sartorial smooth sailing, however; it’s worth noting that although Ivanka sported Herrera’s metallic silver gown for a night out during the first months of her father’s presidencey, her timing to wear it while her father instituted an executive order banning immigrants and travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries garnered immense backlash online for being insensitive during what many considered a humanitarian crisis.

Ivanka’s personal brand, however, is most overtly on display with her day-to-day clothes: conservatively cut A-line silhouettes and dressy sheath dresses in pastel hues and floral prints, often from her eponymous womenswear line, a business she started before entering the political arena. In this way, it’s possible to view Ivanka’s wardrobe as the visual narrative she’s crafted for herself — one of a proudly feminine, self-professed entrepreneur who says she advocates for the economic empowerment of women.

It’s an overt message that’s driven home cogently through the parade of dresses she sports from her own line aimed at working women, mirroring her father’s own endorsement of his brands in the past. That’s not where the similarities end, however — much like her father’s own clothing line, Ivanka’s merchandise has also come under fire for outsourcing and poor working conditions, two decidedly unstylish issues.

With that in mind, here are 17 times that Ivanka Trump’s fashion choices as one of the most visible members of the Trump administration have started a conversation.

 

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Candidates Hillary Clinton And Donald Trump Hold Second Presidential Debate At Washington University
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Celebrity Sightings in New York City - January 19, 2017
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President Donald Trump Attends Inauguration Freedom Ball
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President Trump Announces The Air Traffic Control Reform Initiative
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Ivanka Trump (2nd R), daughter and adviser of US President Donald Trump, listens to her father speak during the launch of the Apprenticeship and Workforce of Tomorrow initiatives in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on June 15, 2017. From L to R, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Trump and Small Business Administration administrator Linda McMahon. / AFP PHOTO / NICHOLAS KAMM (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)NICHOLAS KAMM—AFP/Getty Images
President Trump attends the American Leadership in Emerging Technology Event
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 22: (AFP OUT) Ivanka Trump participates during the American Leadership in Emerging Technology Event in the East Room of the White House June 22, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)Pool—Getty Images
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Ivanka Trump At Womens Entrepreneurship Facility Launch
HAMBURG, GERMANY - JULY 08: Daughter and advisor to US President Trump, Ivanka Trump attends a panel discussion titled 'Launch Event Women's Entrepreneur Finance Initiative' on the second day of the G20 summit on July 8, 2017 in Hamburg, Germany. Leaders of the G20 group of nations are meeting for the July 7-8 summit. Topics high on the agenda for the summit include climate policy and development programs for African economies. (Photo by Ukas Michael - Pool/Getty Images)Pool—Getty Images

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Write to Cady Lang at cady.lang@timemagazine.com