Like many First Ladies before her, Melania Trump‘s personal style has said a lot over the years.
During her time at the White House, Trump’s fashion statements ran the gamut from poised and polished to controversial (the selection of a Zara jacket that read “I Really Don’t Care, Do U?” during a 2018 visit to displaced migrant children who were separated from their families became something of a “Let them eat cake” moment for the former first lady).
But perhaps her most notable piece of fashion was the stiletto. Throughout her run as First Lady, Trump appeared again and again in sky-high stiletto pumps, always seemingly unfazed by the height, the pitch, the pinch of the toe or the severity of the shoe. No wincing, no hobbling, and no breaks from the high heels (at least not in public). Coupled with her steely gaze and a few notable and now-infamous behaviors (refusing to hold her husband’s hand, a leaked tape revealing that she hated working on the White House Christmas decorations), the shoes came to symbolize the first lady’s public persona: acerbic, iron-willed, a little frosty.
But lately, Trump has come to embrace a totally new look, at least in the shoe department. On two separate occasions over the past week, she as been spotted wearing the very opposite of stiletto heels: the soft ballet flat.
First, on June 8, the former first lady arrived to Trump Tower in a khaki midi skirt, black sweater, giant sunglasses and a pair of Chanel’s classic two-toned, cap-toe ballet flats in soft leather. The shoes were an easy tie-in with the color palette of the outfit and matched the quilted black leather Chanel bag that Trump carried along with her on the way in to her New York penthouse.
What could have been written off as a one-off look seems well on its way to becoming a trend for the former first lady. On June 12, Trump appeared again outside Trump Tower — and again in a pair of flats. This time, she paired a classic khaki trench coat over a black dress with a pair of sleek black leather flats with a pointed toe.
There are a few reasons why Trump could be shifting her footwear choices. At 53 years old, it’s understandable if her body has had enough. Years of pounding the tarmac in pin-thin Christian Louboutin So Kate stilettos and Manolo Blahnik BB pumps are guaranteed to take a toll on anyone’s feet, no matter how graceful or skilled one might be in the art of walking in high heels (ask any podiatrist or orthopedic surgeon).
But the shoe shift also echoes the moment that the Trump clan finds itself in currently. Post-Trump presidency, Melania Trump has made limited public outings, and even rarer are appearances that she makes with her husband, former president Donald Trump. She was conspicuously not present (or even in town) for his April arraignment in New York related to his involvement in hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. She was also not present for Trump’s federal arraignment in Miami on Tuesday for 37 felony counts related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents. It was during the time of this most recent arraignment that she was spotted in New York (again in a different state than her husband) wearing flats outside Trump Tower.
If her past wardrobe choices are an indication, Melania Trump is carefully choosing her looks for the moment but not transmitting any overt messages. Her choice in color palette is open for interpretation and could be seen as a message of neutrality — or a hint to bureaucracy, with all of the khaki. There are no colors or prints to emit emotion, nor is there an all-black look to indicate a feeling of grief.
Stepping down from stilettos to flats, meanwhile, sends the message — loud and clear — that the former first lady is no longer willing to perform in the Trump show.
