NEW YORK: She may be tall, slim and a former model, but incoming first lady Melania Trump faces a new kind of fashion police — designers refusing to dress her because of her husband’s politics.
She has posed for GQ, modeled in Paris and graced the cover of Vogue, yet what Melania wears to the inaugural balls on Friday night could be the most important sartorial decision of her life.
“It’s hard to find a great dress for this inauguration,” Donald Trump told The New York Times, trying to present the event as a society sell-out, though whether that is true remains to be seen.
From Mamie Eisenhower’s pink peau de soie gown to Michelle Obama’s white Jason Wu confection in 2009, inaugural gowns worn by America’s first ladies have wound up in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
Melania has high heels to fill. Not only is she the only first lady to come from the fashion world, she succeeds one of the most stylish and beloved first ladies of all.
It remains unclear what path Melania will take. Years ago, she said she would like to be a “traditional” first lady like Jackie Kennedy — famed for her timeless elegance and love of French as well as American fashion.
But she comes into the role at a time when an unprecedented number of designers are saying she simply is not their style or urging each other not to dress her because of her husband’s insult-dishing, divisive campaign.
Sophie Theallet was the first.
“The rhetoric of racism, sexism and xenophobia unleashed by her husband’s presidential campaign are incompatible with the shared values we live by,” Theallet announced last November.
“Personally, I’d rather put my energy into helping out those who will be hurt by Trump and his supporters,” Marc Jacobs told Women’s Wear Daily.
But top designers such as Carolina Herrera, Diane von Furstenberg and Tommy Hilfiger all said they would be honored to dress Melania.
First lady Melania and the political fashion police
First lady Melania and the political fashion police
Thai coffee chains cut default sugar content in coffee and tea drinks in a new health push
- The Health Department says Thais consume 21 teaspoons of sugar daily, far exceeding the World Health Organization’s recommended six teaspoons
- Officials warn this increases obesity and diabetes risks. A survey found iced coffee and bubble tea contain high sugar levels
BANGKOK: For many Thais, a meal doesn’t feel complete without an iced coffee or tea so sugary it could pass for dessert. The government, concerned about the health consequences, wants them to dial it back.
Starting Wednesday, nine major coffee chains across the country have pledged to cut the default sugar content in some of their drinks by half in a government initiative aimed at tackling excessive sugar consumption.
According to the Health Department, Thais consume an average of 21 teaspoons of sugar per day, more than three times the World Health Organization’s recommended limit of six teaspoons. Health officials warn that such high intake increases the risk of obesity, diabetes and other diseases.
The initiative is the first significant step to change consumers’ sugar consumption behavior, said Amporn Benjaponpitak, the director general of the department.
Pakorn Tungkasereerak, the department’s deputy, said 2025 data show that about 45 percent of Thais aged 15 and older are obese, while 10 percent of the population has diabetes.
A survey by the Bureau of Nutrition found that a 22-ounce (650-milliliter) iced coffee contains an average of nine teaspoons of sugar, while a 10-ounce (300-milliliter) serving of bubble milk tea — an iced milk tea with tapioca pearls known as boba — can contain as much as 12 teaspoons.
Sirinya Kuiklang, an office worker, said she approves of the changes. She already orders her drinks at just 25 percent of the standard sugar level, but she is aware that many others consume too much sugar.
“It’s good for Thai people,” she said.
Another office worker, Porwares Tantikanpanit, said he has enjoyed his non-coffee beverages at their current sugar levels but is willing to adjust if shops reduce the sweetness.
However, putting the policy into practice may prove challenging. Officials have said each brand can apply the initiative as they see fit.
Some customers have expressed confusion in response to social media posts promoting the initiative, asking how to order drinks with the level of sweetness that they prefer. Several brands said that the reduction applies only to certain menu items.
