Melania Trump donned a stunning Chinese-inspired gown as she met with President Xi Jinping and his wife Madame Peng Liyuana on day five of her and Donald’s Asia tour.
The First Lady stepped out in a custom floor-length Dolce and Gabba dress for the official welcome ceremony at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on Thursday morning.
The outfit also featured an intricate pink floral design on the black dress, a nod, perhaps, to her hosts’ cultural heritage.
Melania Trump (left and right) donned a stunning Chinese-inspired gown as she met with President Xi Jinping and his wife Madame Peng Liyuana on day five of her and Donald’s Asia tour
The First Lady stepped out in a custom floor-length Dolce and Gabba dress for the official welcome ceremony at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on Thursday
Both Melania and Madame Peng have been noted for their fashion flair, with Peng embracing Chinese designers and traditional design.
Melania had bucked the trend of previous American First Ladies, who have typically chosen home grown designers, and gone for bold foreign designers such as Christian Louboutin, Karl Lagerfeld and – her favorite – Dolce and Gabanna.
The choice may be a simple matter of taste, or could be related to the fashion community’s continued backlash against the Trumps which began when a number of leading American designers, including Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs and Sophie Theallet, stated they were not interested in dressing the First Lady after Donald’s election win.
Melania stepped out in her Italian-made, Chinese-inspired dress, worth an estimated $3,000 for the welcome ceremony at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People overlooking Tiananmen Square. The event was broadcast live on state television, an almost uprecedented for a visiting leader which underlines the importance China has placed on the Trumps’ first official visit.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and wife Madame Peng Liyuan rolled out the red carpet for Donald and Melania Trump on Thursday morning in an official welcome ceremony at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People
Melania stepped out in her Italian-made, Chinese-inspired dress for the welcome ceremony which was broadcast live on state television, an almost uprecedented for a visiting leader
Both Melania and Madame Peng have been noted for their fashion flair, with Peng embracing Chinese designers and traditional design
It was a warm reunion for the political leaders who met during Xi and Peng’s trip to the US where they were invited to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort
Trumpets blared and a military band played the U.S. and Chinese national anthems as a ceremonial cannon fired shots in Tiananmen Square
Trumpets blared and a military band played the U.S. and Chinese national anthems as a ceremonial cannon fired shots in Tiananmen Square.
The First Family has already met President Xi Madame Peng during their visit to the US when Donald Trump invited them to his Mar-a-Lago resort.
Presidents Trump and Xi will participate in several hours of official talks, then deliver a joint press statement. A state dinner is on the agenda for this evening, complete with a cultural performance.
During the welcoming ceremony, the pair seemed to be deep in conversation while their wives kept each other company behind them.
Before the day is through Trump will have also met with Li Keqiang, the head of China’s government. Li is a trained economist and a brainchild of the communist nation’s economy.
Trump administration complaints about China’s unfair business practices and it’s mammoth trade deficit with the U.S. are expected to come up when Trump meets with Li on Thursday afternoon.
Melania’s Chinese-inspired get up comes just days after the first daughter wore a $1,995 kimono-inspired dress, also made in Italy, by designer Johanna Ortiz to meet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for a dinner at a restaurant in Tokyo, Japan, Friday,
Happy as can be: The mother-of-three beamed with joy as she waved for the cameras
Melania’s bold outfit choice comes just days after her step-daughter Ivanka met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for a dinner in Tokyo in a $1,995 kimono-inspired dress, also made in Italy, by designer Johanna Ortiz.
Ivanka’s below-the-knee, flowing dress featured a flowery pattern, tied around the waist with a black bow belt for what appeared to be a nod to the traditional Japanese clothing dating back to the Heian period, between the eighth and twelfth centuries.
The first daughter, 36, posed for photos with Abe, 63, on Friday after giving a speech about female entrepreneurs and women’s role in the economy at the World Assembly for Women 2017 earlier in the day.
Melania and Donald arrived in China yesterday, the third country on their 12 day Asian tour, and hopped in his motorcade and sped through Beijing to the Forbidden City, where they reunited with Chinese president Xi Jinping and Madame Peng over tea.
Trump took in an extra special performance of Peking opera on Wednesday during a grand tour of the Forbidden City put on by Chinese President Xi Jinping. President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are seen here in the Forbidden City with Xi and his wife Madame Peng Liyuan
The Trumps are at a private dinner now with Xi and his wife, Madame Peng Liyuan
After the tour, the presidents and the first ladies of the US and China watched a special performance of Peking opera that was staged for Trump’s visit
‘Welcome to China! I love you!’ a group of children who were part of a Peking opera performance told the U.S. president this evening in Beijing
They led the Trumps to the Conservation Scientific Laboratory of the Forbidden City to participate in an artifact restoration.
The two first couples next watched a performance of Peking opera, a distinctively Chinese art form that combines music, mime, dance and acrobatics.
Posing for pictures with the cast when the opera had concluded, Trump told them the extravagant show was ‘beautiful!’
Trump left South Korea on Wednesday after delivering a speech to the country’s National Assembly. He said in a tweet Wednesday morning that he was looking forward to again seeing Xi, ‘who is just off his great political victory.’
Trump tweeted Wednesday that he was looking forward to renewing his bond with Xi, whom he welcomed to his Florida Mar-a-Lago private resort in April