Melania Trump's UK Banquet Belt Is The Blue And Gold Dress Argument All Over Again

When Melania and Donald Trump made their second state visit to the U.K. in September 2025, Melania's wardrobe attracted attention for all the wrong reasons. For an opulent state banquet, the first lady wore a yellow off-the-shoulder dress with a prominent belt. While lots of people thought Melania's dress was awful, they couldn't reach a consensus on whether her big belt was pink or purple. This color conundrum was similar to 2015, when people argued whether a dress had a blue and black or a white and gold striped pattern. While that dress was actually blue/black, many were baffled that people could perceive the same dress so differently.

In the case of Melania's contested accessory, an insider explained to the Daily Mail that the belt was "Easter purple." Unfortunately, color names can be pretty subjective, and spring is a time of pastels, so does this actually make the belt seem like a pinky purple?

Part of the confusion also stems from two different photos from the event, taken in the same location by different photographers. In one, Melania's dress looks more lemon-hued, the belt pink. In the other, her dress is more vibrant, the belt skewing lavender. Similar to that 2015 dress, lighting plays a role. Queen Camilla's dress color also looks slightly different between the two photos, shifting from a more purply royal blue to a sapphire blue. In addition to differences in camera settings, it's also possible that the brighter pic could have been zhuzhed up later.

Even before her September 2025 trip to the U.K., Melania Trump had already racked up numerous fashion fails during Donald Trump's second term. For many, regardless of whether they think her belt was pink or purple, Melania's banquet dress makes the worst-dressed list for this overseas excursion. Beyond the belt, the dress created confusion in other ways, with some questioning whether the first lady was showing too much skin by having her shoulders exposed. Like the belt color, this issue lacked clarity, with people expressing a range of opinions on its appropriateness. "Although it perhaps is in keeping with state dress protocol, the strapless gown is a little on the daring side," celebrity stylist Marian Kwei told the BBC.

One observer offered a solution to eliminate some of the confusion, while simultaneously pointing out another disorienting aspect of Melania's ensemble. "[It's] low cut, combined with the contrasting belt, makes her torso look compressed and her neck appear shorter," this poster on X, formerly Twitter, remarked. If given their way, they'd make a host of alterations, including a boat neckline to cover Melania's shoulders, as well as changing the belt to a deeper purple.

Even so, Melania's banquet look did find a few fans. "Yellow and purple are a complementary color pairing, and work supremely well together," Jo Hayes, an etiquette expert, informed Hello! magazine. "The lilac shade of purple, the color of royalty, [is] also a nod to the regal event."