Melania Trump got people talking all around the world on Friday when she was spotted wearing a Dolce & Gabbana floral jacket in Sicily that cost a whopping $51,000. While the colorful piece slayed, people couldn't stop talking about the exorbitant cost. CNN reports that the price of Melania's jacket was roughly equivalent to the median household income back in 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Statistics revealed that the average income was $55,000 -- just $4,000 more than the First Lady's "3D flower" jacket.
First lady is partial to Dolce & Gabbana designs
Favoring designs from Dolce & Gabbana, Melania Trump has worn a number of them on her first overseas trip with her husband. She was seen in a pair of floral shoes by the label at a spouses dinner in Belgium on Thursday. It's well-known that she's a fan of the prestigious fashion label. Reactions were mixed over Melania's colorful coat during a visit to the Chierici Palace City Hall of Catania. She was seen alongside the other spouses of world leaders who convened in Taomarina for the G7 summit.
Did Melania buy the $51,000 jacket?
The flower jacket was first seen at a Dolce & Gabbana fashion show in February. Melania evidently loved the look and decided to make it hers.
Did she actually buy it or is it at the taxpayers' expense? According to CNN, it's more likely that the designer loaned it to Melania. The report went on to impart that designers can gift clothes to first ladies to wear for state dinners or historic public events. Once worn, the clothes are donated to the National Archives.
Melania's outing in the floral jacket isn't believed to fit in that category.
In all other cases, first ladies are supposed to pay for their own gowns, suits, and any other clothes. Considering the Trump's are extremely wealthy, it's assumed that Melania paid for the jacket if it wasn't loaned to her by D&G.
Did Melania make a 'misstep' wearing the pricey piece?
A CNN contributor weighing in on Melania Trump's floral jacket felt that she made a "misstep" by opting to wear the jacket because it did little to make her relatable. Many Americans are struggling to make ends meet and the first lady parading around in a $51,000 coat perhaps wasn't the best move.
Melania was praised for all of her fashion choices for the entirety of her first foreign trip with Donald Trump since he became president. She was first seen in a black jumpsuit with a large gold belt in Saudi Arabia. She won over the Saudis for her "conservative" and "elegant" apparel. Melania Trump showed the world her way of showing respect through fashion diplomacy. She reportedly studied the fashion protocol of nations she was going to visit months before leaving. Her hard work definitely paid off.
