Add Tom Ford to the list of designers who won’t dress incoming first lady Melania Trump.
In an interview on The View that aired Wednesday, Ford said that he declined to dress Trump a few years ago. “She’s not necessarily my image,” Ford said.
But Ford’s choice not to dress Trump may not be a political statement. Ford said he was a Democrat and voted for Hillary Clinton, but that he wouldn’t necessarily want the former secretary of state donning his clothes, either. “Even if Hillary had won, she shouldn’t be wearing my clothes either. They’re too expensive,” Ford, who dressed First Lady Michelle Obama once, said.
When the show’s co-hosts asked if Trump should refrain from wearing expensive clothes, Ford responded: “I’m going to leave that to Melania.”
Since the election, many have wondered who in the fashion industry — which largely supported Clinton — would dress the first lady. Designer Sophie Theallet called on designers to boycott dressing Melania Trump last month. And a handful of high-profile designers, including Marc Jacobs and Humberto Leon of Kenzo and Opening Ceremony, have said they don’t want to dress Trump either. But other designers, including Tommy Hilfiger, Thom Browne and Diane von Furstenberg, said they’ll be more than happy to dress the new first lady.
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Write to Samantha Cooney at samantha.cooney@time.com