WHEN men dress, no one thinks anything of it but when it comes to women it is quite another matter. What a woman wears is bound to be subject to interpretation and the more powerful the merrier.

The outfits worn to the inauguration of the 45th president of the United States, Donald Trump, last week have failed to escape the very judgmental gaze of billions across the globe of different genders. It was not the speeches that made them tune in from millions of homes- it was the dresses.

This is just as well, as class trends we will see in the next few months will be set right here. And you will be shocked how much politics you can play with style and colour.

The POTUS that was not to be

If you were tired of seeing Democratic presidential election nominee Hilary Clinton in “drab”, monochrome suits, you would have been exasperated with the ultimate- her inauguration dress. There is every indication that it was not an accident either, as fashion pundits around the world attribute the white Ralph Lauren suit with the now permanent long jacket to the likelihood that the colour was chosen as a protest.

Obama & wife with Trump & wife

Apparently it was one of the colours worn by the suffragettes in the early 20th century, standing for purity, in an effort to protect them their opponent’s claims of immorality; and there was every indication Hilary wore this colour in solidarity with the anti-Trump women’s rally in Washington the next day. But then, Ivanka Trump also wore a white suit, though a less dowdy one. Clinton’s wardrobe has been under constant scrutiny and inspection for decades, and even more so during the 2016 campaign, with each look combed for hidden meaning.

The ex-FLOTUS

Recently referred to as the world’s most popular woman, everybody loves Michelle Obama as well as her style, which can be rather overrated. In 2009, a little known designer named Jason Wu made a one-shouldered white gown for the then incoming FLOTUS to wear for the inaugural ball, and it was an instant hit. She wore the designer again for Obama’s second term inauguaration, turning around the fortune of the 26-year old designer permanently.

A well acknowledged patron of the fashion world, Michelle’s 2017 inauguration dress did not get as much attention as previous dresses: perhaps because of its simplicity or perhaps because it was not by an old school designer. Fashion pundits attributed the red colour of her dress to the desire by the ex-FLOTUS to show solidarity and a sense of unity with incoming FLOTUS Melania Trump, who wore blue – the Democrat colour.

Rather, it was Michelle’s style that got the world of style enthralled one more time. The dress was a red A-line with a soft brushstroke print and Michelle styled it with a thin black belt. She swept up her hair to reveal diamond stud earrings that left competition baffled once again on how a woman call be so simple and so sophisticated at the same time. While Michelle has been the American queen of understated elegance, this particular number (more like burgundy, actually), is a true classic and will be spoken about for a long time to come.

The FLOTUS

The whole world had waited with bated breathe to see what demure beauty and exotic former lingerie model turned world’s most powerful woman, would wear to the inauguration. Very few fashion pundits could have predicted what they saw on that day.

Melania Trump was divine in Ralph Lauren powder blue. Not only did she not show any skin at all, she looked like a million dollars in the classic cut dress with matching jacket in monochrome, saving her the trouble of taking off her coat every so often. Not only did it flatter her figure, it flattered her man whose taste in women has been questioned too often.

Fashion pundits

Fashion pundits superimposed her with Michelle’s red and Hilary’s blue, making the three the perfect American flag.

All’s end that ends well, you would have thought, but that has not been the case here, as the internet went wild with anti-Trump protesters put on a severe criticism of Ralph Lauren.  Opponents of this decision have rallied around the hashtag #BoycottRalphLauren, while many A-list designers such as Tom Ford have vowed not to dress Melania Trump because they don’t support her husband’s policies.

Still, move over, Jackie Onassis! While analysts regard Melania’s dress as a complete fluke, she might yet be on her way to surpass Michelle Obama in the style department and might be the Lady Diana of the United States- the stone that the builder rejected.