Ivanka Trump Outfits That Meant More Than We Realized

Donald Trump's oldest daughter Ivanka Trump first daughter once again. She was active in her father's presidency the first time around, but we can't say the same for his second presidency. In a 2022 statement, she said "I love my father very much. This time around, I am choosing to prioritize my young children and the private life we are creating as a family. I do not plan to be involved in politics," per Fox News. 

Now, the former model has pivoted to being active on social media and quiet on the topic of her dad. Through her many phases and career changes, though, Ivanka has been consistent in her love of fashion. And sometimes, her clothing choices speak in ways that she doesn't.

Ivanka has always been deliberate about how she dresses, and it's clear that she focuses on looking good and expressing herself through what she wears. However, some of her outfits over the years may have had special meaning. Consequently, focusing on what she chooses to wear may give more insight into what's going on behind the scenes, and many of her outfits may have had a hidden agenda or a special message.

In 2019, Ivanka Trump traveled to Morocco to promote the Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative. There, she met with Princess Lalla Meryem, Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, and others to discuss women's economic empowerment. On the visit, she wore a light grey jacket and pants set, which featured intricate embroidery. 

According to Express, Carolina Hurley, the then-White House specialty media director, shared the special significance of Trump's outfit on X, formerly known as Twitter, writing, "Fun fact: the designer of Ivanka Trump's outfit yesterday, Fadila el Gadi, runs an institute in Morocco that teaches underprivileged children the art of embroidery."

A year earlier, in an interview with Al Jazeera, el Gadi said, "Opening a school that teaches embroidery was not only my dream but also a necessity given how this art is dying," and added, "This not only helps conserve the tradition but also gives these kids a hope for the future because otherwise they had nothing to look forward to." Surely, choosing to work with this particular designer was Trump's subtle nod to the initiative on which she was working.

As a former model and fashion designer, Ivanka Trump's wardrobe was clearly still important to her even when she turned her attention to politics. Of course, what's a more important occasion than the inauguration that would kick off the presidency that she would be a part of? It's clear that Trump took the inaugural ball exactly that seriously — donning a glistening champagne-colored gown by Carolina Herrera. 

Besides the fact that this dress was fit for a queen — or in this case, the first daughter — the choice to be dressed by Herrera was particularly important. The American designer has a history of dressing first ladies. She dressed Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Michelle Obama while their husbands were in the White House. 

Per NBC News, in an interview with the Associated Press, Herrera said, "It is an honor to dress the first ladies of the country and it's something to do for the United States. It's not for myself. It's for the public." In an interview with Glossy, the designer called Trump "a very special woman," noting that "she loves fashion" and "everything she wears looks fabulous on her." It's worth noting that at the inaugural candlelight dinner, Trump continued the tradition of wearing designers that have been known to dress first ladies. She wore Oscar de la Renta, who dressed Nancy Reagan, Laura Bush, and Hillary Clinton. 

While Ivanka Trump acted as an advisor to Donald Trump during his presidency, she took a hard turn when he decided to run a third time. Speaking exclusively to The List in March 2024, political science professor at Occidental College Caroline Heldman explained that Ivanka's pivot to social media influencer was likely an attempt to fix bridges she had burned by being so closely associated with her dad and his politics. She called Ivanka's carefully curated social media presence "her own campaign to re-enter high society." According to Heldman, "Her social media frames her as a spirited family woman, curated to reach a wide audience across the political spectrum."

One way to reach more folks across the political spectrum is to appear more worldly, experienced, and open-minded than Donald does. In March 2024, Ivanka shared a series of photos of her and her husband Jared Kushner on Instagram. "The celebration of Anant and Radhika's love continues on our second night in India!" she captioned the photos, which showed her and Kushner wearing traditional guest attire for Indian weddings. Of course, wearing this attire was appropriate for the occasion, but the notion that Ivanka is trying to portray a version of herself on social media that is very different from anything associated with her father does suggest that there may have been a deeper meaning to sharing so many photos of this ensemble. 

Throughout the 2024 presidential election, Ivanka Trump carefully avoided the campaign trail and most events related to Donald Trump's presidency. She did, however, make an exception for the Republican National Convention. Just days after the assassination attempt against Donald at a campaign rally, Ivanka attended the RNC and stood alongside her sister Tiffany Trump. Donald's two daughters stood behind him, both wearing white suits. The image was striking and a clearly deliberate choice on Ivanka and Tiffany's part. 

What the real reasoning behind the choice was isn't entirely clear, but it was certainly important that Ivanka was present for the event, and it's safe to guess that she would have preferred to not attend. Having her there with her sister proved that some of the women in Donald's life were willing to support him, even if it took a bit of convincing. They were dressed in a color that represented peace and provided a contrast to the violence that was central to the election at that time. Furthermore, some people believed that the choice of white suits was actually meant to coordinate with Donald's white bandage, covering his wound from the assassination attempt. Their presence in the matching hue did draw more attention to the bandage, which was surely positive in the eyes of Donald's campaign. 

One of the other events over the course of the election season that Ivanka Trump attended was the fête at Trump's campaign headquarters on election night, and her ensemble for the special occasion caused quite a stir. She wore a blue suit, a choice that many people believe put her true feelings about Donald Trump on blast. 

Donald is known for wearing a red tie, the color that is synonymous with the Republican party. Blue is the color typically associated with the Democratic party. Commenters on X were quick to point this out. "'Blue' represents the Democrat Party. Perhaps she was sending a secret message that she voted for Kamala [Harris]!" said one X user. "Why is [I]vanka Trump wearing a democrat shade of blue? And she's standing well away from Trump and the rest of her family," said another.

Ivanka's choice to wear blue may have felt like it wasn't important. However, she clearly puts plenty of thought into her outfits. It seems like an obvious choice not to wear blue on election night if you're rooting for a Republican. Since Ivanka was absent for nearly all of the campaign trail, this was quite a noteworthy final ensemble.

Back in 2017, Ivanka Trump surely didn't anticipate that she'd be picking out another outfit for her dad's inauguration eight years later. Yet, when Donald Trump's second inauguration rolled around in 2025, some folks found it royally disappointing when she channeled Catherine, Princess of Wales in head-to-toe green for the occasion. Ivanka wore Dior — specifically, a duplicate of a Christian Dior Bar suit from the 1940s. The skirt suit with a matching hat and black gloves certainly looked vintage, and perhaps that was the goal — a "Make Fashion Great Again" kind of thing. But even when they were first popular, the world was on the heels of World War II, and this over-the-top look was viewed as out-of-touch by many. Incidentally, Ivanka herself is also viewed as out-of-touch by many.

There's no question that Ivanka knew what she was doing in choosing a vintage-inspired ensemble that looked plucked out of history books. For others, though, this look felt like it was plucked out of a different book: "The Handmaid's Tale," to be exact. Plenty of people on social media compared this look to what Yvonne Strahovski wore as Serena Joy on "The Handmaid's Tale" series. In fact, many found the resemblance so uncanny that they insisted it was deliberate. "She has to be doing this on purpose right?" one Instagram user asked. "It's 100% intentional" said another. It's unclear whether this was, in fact, intentional, but if not, it was definitely a misstep.

For the 2025 Liberty Inaugural Ball, Ivanka Trump wore a white strapless gown with black embroidery that she paired with black gloves. Folks had mixed opinions abut the Givenchy couture ensemble, but if it caught your eye because it looked familiar, that's because it was. This dress was inspired by one worn by a famous fashion icon. The gown was designed decades ago for the 1954 film "Sabrina," sported by its titular character, played by Audrey Hepburn.

The choice to pay homage to the late actress in this way was reportedly important to Trump. Her representative told Page Six, "Audrey Hepburn has long been a personal inspiration to Ivanka," adding, "She views it as a great privilege to honor her legacy in this way and is incredibly grateful to the team at Givenchy for bringing this moment to life." Stars are often not exactly pleased to be associated with the Trump family. In this case, though, Hepburn's son spoke out about Trump's controversial inauguration gown and stayed fairly neutral while honoring his mother. "It is no wonder that growing up in a family which knew our mother as a household name she chose to draw inspiration from her, to seek the ultimate elegance and class reference, for an occasion such as this one — the inauguration and the 32nd anniversary of our mother's passing and, most of all, Martin Luther King's day," Sean Hepburn Ferrer told the Daily Mail, adding, 'What a cocktail!'