The Inappropriate Shoes That Once Landed Melania Trump In Hot Water

For every perk that comes with dancing on the global stage, there's a downside. A-list celebrities, members of the royal family, and politicians and their spouses — including Melania Trump — learn sooner or later that constant scrutiny is unfortunately the price you pay for these highly sought-after roles. On more than one occasion, Melania Trump's inappropriate outfits have landed the wife of President Donald Trump in hot water, particularly as she often opts for pieces so expensive that the chance of relatability to the average American flies completely out the window. Back in 2017, the FLOTUS attracted controversy not for the price tag of her sky-high stilettos but for the fact that she wore them on her way to visit hurricane-devastated Texas. 

Melania's footwear was everywhere that late-August day, with people quickly noting the lack of practicality and blatant disregard for the severity of the situation. Much of the backlash stemmed from Melania seemingly making no effort to even pretend to be relatable as she made her way to connect with people who were quite literally fighting to survive. 

Women in similar roles have typically chosen more practical and demure ensembles. Princess Diana notably wore loafers on her famous Angola landmine walk in 1997, while Michelle Obama went with nonchalant black kitten heels for the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Melania's shoes in question — believed to be Manolo Blahniks — were too exuberant and impractical, leaving a bad taste in the public's mouth. "Live look at Melania Trump offering assistance in Houston," quipped one X (formerly Twitter) user, who posted video footage of an "America's Next Top Model" contestant struggling in super-high platforms. But in the face of the backlash, fans of Melania Trump, and the POTUS himself, came to her defense.

Opinions about Melania Trump's choice of footwear during the 2017 presidential trip to visit hurricane-ridden Texas are strong, but it should be noted that the first lady didn't wear the shoes in the disaster zone; she wore them to board the plane from the White House, over 1,600 miles away. "So, when she leaves the plane, we're going to Texas where they have the hurricane," Donald Trump summarized for the press once the criticism started (via CNN). "And she leaves the plane, and she's dressed appropriately for the White House, you know, because we respect the White House a lot. And she's wearing high heels, like many of you would do, and they went after her ... and then when she got out of the plane in Texas, she was wearing sneakers, which she had with her." 

Meanwhile, Melania's communications director, Stephanie Grisham, released a statement to The New York Times: "It's sad that we have an active and ongoing natural disaster in Texas, and people are worried about her shoes." When criticized for wearing $540 Lanvin shoes to a food bank in 2009, Michelle Obama responded with the same sentiment: "They're shoes" (via Vanity Fair). It appears that fashion faux pas aren't limited to political lines.

Fans of Melania also decided to weigh in to the drama on social media, with one X supporter writing, "Anyone talking about Melania's shoes has clearly never been to Russia or Eastern Europe in the winter get over it," in reference to Melania's Slovenian heritage. Ultimately, Melania Trump's style transformation has shown us that, whether the shoes were inappropriate or not, the backlash doesn't seem to have scared the FLOTUS away from boasting a stylish and expensive sartorial collection, disaster zone or no disaster zone. In that vein, check out Melania Trump's most expensive outfits.