Ivanka Trump's State Of The Union Dress Has Me Questioning Her Choice

When it comes to the Presidential State Of The Union, what matters most are the topics discussed and the plan of action decided for our country. However, style-obsessed as I am, I still end up sizing up everyone's ensembles. That said, I made sure to take note of Ivanka Trump's 2019 State of the Union dress on Feb. 5, as out of all the Trump family members, Trump has a reputation for her sense of style. As someone who has long been in the public eye, her style evolution can be clearly documented by a look back at earlier photos, and she's definitely made a noticeable shift in donning more refined, polished looks now that she's entered the world of politics. However, this year, she might have mixed fashion with a slip of shade.

As a former model and fashion brand owner, Ivanka Trump's attire is discussed at almost every appearance she makes, whether or not the event has anything to do with what she's wearing. For President Donald Trump's second-ever State of the Union Address, she donned an all-black dress, which yes, is classic, but given the fact that some female members of Congress opted to wear white out of solidarity (and in honor of women's suffrage), the first daughter could have been making both a fashion and personal statement at this year's State of the Union.

Who knows what made Trump choose that particular dress (after all, black is chic), but truth be told the timing is... interesting, to say the least.

Trump's fashion is worth noting, as it's part of her pre-White House claim to fame. Prior to entering the political world as an adviser to her father President Trump, she had her own Ivanka Trump brand, which sold a number of things, including fashion items and shoes. However, the fashion brand was not always steady, and was subjected to allegations that it had stolen designs, which a representative called "baseless" at the time, as well as being dropped by some retailers. In July 2018, the fashion brand shuttered for good. In a statement at the time, Trump said that the decision was in order to allow her to focus on politics. "[M]y focus for the foreseeable future will be the work I am doing here in Washington," she said in the statement.

At the January 2018 State of the Union, Trump went for a short-sleeved, black-and-red plaid dress, and kept her hair sleek and straight with a middle part, as always. According to Yahoo!, the tartan ensemble was designed by Oscar De La Renta and retailed for a cool $2,690.

Here she is pictured in the 2018 look alongside her husband, Jared Kushner:

Despite the patterned dress she donned last year, Trump definitely has an outfit formula she tends to stick to when making appearances at public events, and it usually involves a monochromatic color scheme.

If I had to guess, I'd assume she favors an all-white ensemble, based on the evidence, aka her wearing a lot of white:

Of course, she will sometimes dabble in muted shades like cream and pale pink, too:

And every so often, she abandons monochrome altogether and opts for something bold:

The beautiful thing about fashion is that it's all based on personal style. However, one thing is for sure: Ivanka's outfit this year definitely looked like a statement piece.