Melania Trump's Weird Twist On Her Black & White Aesthetic For Inaugural Ball Totally Backfired

There was no shortage of fashion faux pas at President Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20, 2025. Even those who are known for looking chic more often than not missed the mark. Ivanka Trump's Kate Middleton-inspired look was royally disappointing while Lauren Sánchez wasn't afraid to show some skin, garnering the wrong kind of attention from Mark Zuckerberg, and Usha Vance was under the microscope for sporting her most expensive outfit to date. That being said, those ladies were hardly the worst-dressed on the day, an honor that can only be bestowed on the incoming first lady herself.

Melania Trump was reminiscent of a cartoon villain on the morning of her husband's inauguration, raising more than a few eyebrows with her puzzling look (a severe black and white ensemble, paired with a large hat that overwhelmed her head and hid her eyes from sight completely). Nobody could quite figure out what she was thinking, as the look would have been more fitting for a funeral. Melania had an opportunity to turn things around for the Inaugural Ball, but instead went with a controversial dress that had everyone saying the same thing: The continuation of a black and white color palette was boring at best. 

The first lady changed into a white, strapless custom gown by Hervé Pierre with black line detailing for the evening's festivities, and the response was overwhelmingly negative. "Melania's dress is very ugly," one user posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Melania's dress is very ugly. pic.twitter.com/alVLUlrfSD

— ✨🪩Raquel🪩✨ (@eternallyRaq) January 21, 2025

Not even a faux fireworks background was enough to distract from the strangeness of Melania Trump's second fashion fail on Inauguration Day, and social media users didn't hold back with their harsh criticism.  More than one person noted that the bold black lines on the dress reminded them more of something you'd find on some paperwork, rather than fashion befitting a first lady celebrating her husband's big night. "Melania's dress looks like someone took a sharpie and drew on it," one X user commented. "Is it me or does Melania's dress look like Trump took a Sharpie to it?" another commenter wondered.

Other users were more opinionated in their criticism, leaving no room for interpretation. "Melania needs a new stylist for sure," one such commenter opined. "That dress she is wearing at the inaugural ball looks like they were placing ribbon on it and didn't finish the job. Her hat earlier and look was more of a funeral than a celebration. YUCK!" All eyes will be on the bestselling "Melania" author's fashion choices from here on out, and sadly, she's not off to a very good start. Of course, this is also hardly the first time Melania's outrageous fashion choices have caused a stir, and we're sure it won't be the last.