First Lady Melania Trump joined President Donald Trump on a surprise visit to Iraq on Wednesday, December 26, days after Trump was criticized for being the first president to not visit troops on Christmas since 2002. The two spent three hours on the ground before heading to Germany and then returning to the U.S. In that short amount of time, Melania wore three outfits. And you know what that means: People naturally focused on the substance of her fashion choices.
While she was in Iraq, Melania wore a mustard suede Victoria Beckham jacket, J Brand jeans, and Timberland boots. At Ramstein Air Base in Germany, she opted for a black bomber jacket and green pants. But she saved the most head-turning look for last: Prior to descending from Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews at the trip’s end, she changed into a green coat and … is that … wait … is she … yep, she’s wearing pants. They’re almost the same color as her skin, but you can see the fabric move on her knees as she walks.
People quickly expressed their confusion about her legwear, either wondering where her pants were or why she was wearing such a tiny miniskirt. (Former First Lady Michelle Obama made headlines in 2009 when she wore mid-length shorts on Air Force One en route to a family vacation in Arizona; she later reflected on the “huge stink” the outfit caused, but stood by her vacationwear.)
Leggings like these wouldn’t be notable on civilians — plenty of people have leather pants, and tan leggings are available from runway designers and brands like Fashion Nova alike. But it’s been a wild year for Melania and her closet. She wore a Zara jacket that asked, “I don’t really care, do u?” on the way to visit detained migrant children in Texas, and was later accused of channeling colonialism while in Africa. Responding to the latter, she said, “I wish people would focus on what I do, not what I wear.” People later focused on just that, when she made the decision to dye her hair blonde for an appearance on Fox news.
