Outdated Trends Trump Family Women Won't Ever Give Up

There's no shortage of fashion moments with the Trump women, some of them less desirable than others. Ever since Donald Trump expressed interest in politics and served his first presidential term back in 2016 and a second one beginning in 2025, the Trump women have been feature faces throughout American society. Love them or leave them, their fashion tastes can be really extraordinary. Just look at Melania Trump and her many outfits that were stunning, or Ivanka Trump, who nailed several looks thanks to her polished style.

However, the Trump women have also made a few sartorial mistakes over the years, sporting fashion trends that were outdated and unflattering. Many celebrities will make a fashion mistake once and never repeat it. However, the Trump women never seem to learn their lesson. It may well be that they know these trends are outdated but choose to keep them in their wardrobes anyway. For one, Melania seems to hang onto a few outdated looks and repeat them over and over again. We can also look back over archives of photos and see Lara Trump rocking a cringy, all-American look or spot Tiffany Trump opting for outdated trends that should be put aside, particularly in the political sphere. Nonetheless, these women seem to be in a bubble of their own and repeat these same mistakes frequently. 

Many of the Trump women sport shockingly oversized belts. The accessory, which ends up looking more like a WWE title belt, does nothing to shrink a silhouette or enhance one's figure in a dress. These monstrous belts appear frequently on the Trump women, and frankly, it's a little surprising that it keeps happening. The era of the wide belt is long gone, and the rest of us left those behind in the late 2000s where they belong.

In February 2019, Tiffany Trump arrived at the Taoray Wang runway show with her mom, Marla Maples, and Kimberly Guilfoyle, who was in a relationship with Don Trump, Jr. at the time. The three women posed together, and one of the most notable things about the event was Tiffany's belt. She wore a black and purple, off-the-shoulder mini dress with an oversized black belt and strappy heels. The belt was much too large in proportion to her mini dress. 

Melania Trump also loves belts and has rocked many that are oversized. When Melania landed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in May 2017 with Donald Trump, she stepped off the plane in a black jumpsuit and an enormous gold belt. A smaller belt would have been fine to cinch the look, but such a big belt was distracting. Melania wore another wide, white belt at the Daytona 500, pairing it with a black and white dress. It's a real pattern for these women. 

The Trump women seem to have a real soft spot for statement sleeves, which is unfortunate because ample sleeves are quite outdated. Ivanka Trump has sported the exaggerated sleeves on several occasions. While at the 2017 G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, Ivanka wore a pale pink dress that featured a v-shaped neckline and cut off at her knees. The dress was perfectly fine, save for the trumpet sleeves that were amplified by large, tonal bows at her elbows. The embellishments were overpowering. 

On another occasion, Ivanka suffered a wardrobe malfunction because of her love of oversized sleeves. While in Bogota, Colombia, in 2019, working as a senior advisor to her father, President Donald Trump, Ivanka chose a green dress with wide sleeves. In one unfortunate moment, the wind picked up, and Ivanka's sleeves blew wide open, nearly covering her face with the billowing fabric. It was an awkward moment, and it lived on in internet memes, distracting from her mission in Colombia. Better to have stuck to more contemporary styles to avoid these mishaps. 

Melania Trump also loves a statement sleeve, unfortunately. At the 2016 Republican National Convention, she wore a white Roksanda dress worth $2,190 that featured large, white sleeves. The cream puff shapes gathered around her elbows, much like many of Ivanka's favorite styles do. We're surprised to see the Trump women making these kinds of outdated mistakes so frequently. 

The Trump women opt for skinny jeans time after time. The outdated denim trend has been pushed to the back shelves for a while now, so it's not like they haven't gotten the memo. Wide-leg denim is one of the most popular denim trends and continues to dominate. Wide legs are also much more comfortable than skinny jeans, so you'd think the Trump women would jump on that wagon, but they don't. Melania Trump, in particular, chooses the tight fit whenever she's in a more casual setting and wears skinny jeans in a wide array of colors. Melania chose white skinny jeans when she visited the Upbring New Hope Children's Center in McAllen, Texas, in June 2018 during the border crisis when children were being separated from their families. This was the controversial trip where Melania boarded the plane for Texas wearing the infamous jacket that read: "I really don't care do u?" So, considering the circumstances, skinny jeans were the least of her worries. 

Ivanka Trump also loves the pant cut and continues to wear them. Like Melania, Ivanka wears them in all sorts of colors and chooses them for off-duty moments, particularly when she's with her children. The Trump women seem unapologetically committed to the millennial item and, from the looks of things, don't plan on nixing their skinny jeans any time soon. 

It's one thing to dress up patriotically for Halloween. It's another thing to wear an American flag ensemble for any other occasion, even if your father-in-law is the president. For Lara Trump, wife of Eric Trump, this outdated and tacky concept seemed like a good idea. In December 2023, Lara jumped on Instagram to share her dress, which featured a red skirt, alternating white and blue chest pieces, and a blue overhanging cape. To further mimic the American flag, Lara had silver stars on the blue panel of her dress. "When you tell us the theme is 'patriotic,' we will deliver," Lara wrote in the caption. She wore silver heels and gold bracelets, giving a slight nod to Wonder Woman, too. 

The shocking dress was created by designer Oscar Lopez, who has worked with Lara before to create other daring — dare we say garish — looks for her. The dress did not go down well with folks on Instagram. "Yikes," one person commented. "This is truly an ugly dress," another added. Lara often dons excessively patriotic tones. Her athletic leisure company, Lara Trump Collection, frequently features over-the-top All-American gear. It's certainly not unusual for political figures in the United States to wear red or blue depending on their party, but for Lara, the styling is excessive, and she looks more like she's wearing costumes than normal outfits. 

It feels like some form of military appropriation, but the Trump women frequently wear monochromatic, army green getups. Lara Trump wore an all-green pantsuit during the Conservative Political Action Conference in February 2024 in Maryland. Meanwhile, at the Republican National Convention in 2020, Melania Trump wore what looked like a replica of a military jacket by Alexander McQueen, along with a coordinating pencil skirt. It was a strange choice, especially considering that she used her Rose Garden address to speak about the impacts of COVID-19, so the whole thing felt disjointed. 

Not only is the military cosplay of the Trump women awkward and strange, but color-wise, it's also outdated. Olive green had a resurgence in the 2010s and was hugely popular around 2014. The earthy tone has receded since, but the Trump women are determined to keep it around, particularly if it makes them look like commanding generals.