Fashion Freakout

Someone untutored in the ways of liberals might expect the fashion world to be excited about the prospect of Melania Trump as First Lady. Mrs. Trump is a former model, and as a bonus, she is an actual immigrant at a time when immigrants are supposed to be popular on the left. I am being facetious, of course: the Clintons may have attended Donald and Melania’s wedding, but that was then (Donald was a Democrat) and this is now. So the knives are out in the world of fashion.

Fashionista is, I am told, one of the foremost fashion sites on the web. For eight years, it has followed Michelle Obama’s every wardrobe change with knee-jerk sycophancy. Now it frets about how to handle the prospect of a Republican First Lady: “After eight years of meticulously documenting our First Lady’s White House wardrobe, Fashionista plans on taking a big step back next year.” After a lengthy paean to Michelle Obama, Fashionista explains:

On Jan. 20, 2017, a new First Lady will take up residence in the White House. Melania Trump, a former model (though not of the high fashion variety) whose campaign wardrobe consisted of high-end, largely off-the-rack pieces by Gucci — yes, the infamous pussy bow–

You probably didn’t read about that one, but it was infamous on the left.

…Roksanda, Roland Mouret, Emilia Wickstead and even Ralph Lauren…

Even!

will be thrust into the spotlight, leaving her with some Michelle Obama-sized sartorial shoes to fill.

I don’t think this is a literal reference to Michelle’s shoe size, but the metaphor could be seen as unfortunate.

As if this task isn’t difficult enough, she’ll be on the arm of President-elect Donald Trump, whose victory in the electoral college stunned even the most trusted media outlets….

The logic here is hard to follow, but the implication seems to be that if the New York Times didn’t predict it, there is something vaguely illegitimate about Trump’s victory.

and sent waves of panic throughout the country, especially among marginalized groups who fear for their safety.

Actually, the only people who have had to fear for their safety are Donald Trump supporters.

Trump and/or his Vice President-elect Mike Pence have been openly hostile regarding LGBTQ equality, same-sex marriage, female reproductive rights, immigration reform, and international trade (just to scratch the surface) — stances that not only alienate a good portion of the fashion community, but the nation as a whole.

But wait! Trump won the election, so he can’t have “alienated” “the nation as a whole.” Unless some parts of the nation just don’t count.

And this is why we plan on having no part in normalizing the Trump family, particularly when it comes to cataloging the First Lady’s fashion choices.

References to not “normalizing” Trump are common on the left. The idea is that Trump (or, as here, Trump’s family) is abnormal, and therefore is to be treated with vicious bigotry on all occasions lest he be “normalized.” Liberals are taking their usual meanspiritedness to a new level.

Amusingly, however, Fashionista is leaving its options open. After all, the rest of the country might not agree with the site’s left-wing posturing, and the day could come when Melania Trump is a valuable source of clicks. Therefore:

We won’t go so far as to say we’ll never write about what Mrs. Trump is wearing, but we’re going to reserve it for strictly newsworthy occasions: Is her State Dinner ensemble a beautiful homage to the country the White House is hosting? Did she step out in a piece by an up-and-coming American label? Is there underlying meaning or cultural significance behind something she’s wearing, or did it start a widespread conversation like the aforementioned pussy bow did? Is she in an accessible, instantly shoppable piece by a brand like J.Crew? Did she show up at the Met Gala?!

That is what passes for newsworthy in the world of fashion.

Fashionista reproduces this Vogue cover, reminding us that there was a time when Melania Trump was not scorned by the industry, even though she may not have been a “high fashion” model:

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It is not unusual for liberals to make fools of themselves, but we have never seen anything like the weeks since this year’s election. A great many stupid things are being said, most of which, I suspect, are destined for the memory hole.

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