Ivanka Trump’s days as a prominent White House advisor are behind her, and she’s got a new image in the works.It’s been eight years since Ivanka, 42, traded in her life as a sought-after millennial Manhattan socialite to assist her father, Donald Trump, in his successful 2016 run for president of the US.Although working as her father’s advisor in the White House and close confidant brought a new level of prestige to her résumé, the response to policies the administration pushed meant she lost quite a bit as well.
Donald Trump and Ivanka Trump on March 20, 2020 in Washington, DC.
Alex Wong
Namely, her reputation.Retailers began dropping her eponymous fashion brand from their stores due to weak sales. She faced public ridicule from celebrities, was shunned at a wedding by other guests, lost longtime friends, and eventually shut down her fashion company in 2018.By November 2020, a former friend of Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, told Vanity Fair they likely wouldn’t be accepted back into some of the exclusive New York City social circles they once navigated.In November 2022, Ivanka announced her intention to step back from politics and transition her family from New York City to Florida. She has not been actively campaigning for her father’s 2024 run and didn’t show up at his campaign launch.More recently, she separated herself from a lawsuit against the Trump Org. and members of her family, but she did testify during the resulting fraud trial in New York.
Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump walk on the south lawn of the White House on November 29, 2020.
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
Over the last four years, outlets, including Business Insider, have reported on Ivanka’s attempts to distance herself from the Trump name and her father’s political sphere to rehabilitate her public image.Nothing has been more indicative of this transition than her personal style, which has gone from boardroom chic to crop tops and strapless minidresses.Just take a scroll through her Instagram.In the White House, Ivanka’s style was professional and predictableAs an advisor, Ivanka’s style while working at the White House can be summed up in a few words: professional, feminine, and safe.
Don Jr., Donald Trump, and Ivanka Trump on “The Celebrity Apprentice” in 2009.
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Instagram posts shared in 2017 — her first month at the White House — showed her often leaning into outfits reminiscent of her time on “The Apprentice.” Despite donning the occasional bright print, her public style became inundated with business casual straight-line pencil skirts, power suits, and the same few office-approved silhouettes.In June 2017, she appeared to wear a black and white wool crepe dress designed by Escada sold at Neiman Marcus, according to Footwear News. The item is currently sold out online, but purchasing Escada is no small feat. One floral-themed Escada dress at Neiman Marcus costs $1,043, while a sleeveless mini-day dress is priced at over $700.That August, she posed alongside her father and former United States Secretary of the Treasury, Steven Mnuchin, in an Instagram post about tax reform. She donned a 2012 white Oscar de la Renta dress with navy adornments across the fabric. The dress is also sold out online at retailers like Neiman Marcus, but other options sold on the designer’s website range anywhere from $2,800 to $12,990.And as the years rolled on, Ivanka typically stayed true to this style. In May 2018, she shared another Instagram photo of her and Donald promoting the White House’s field day. According to Mail Online, Ivanka’s understated black dress with red trim was designed by Gucci and cost more than $2,200. Two years later, she wore a black-and-white polka dot Burberry skirt that Mail Online reported cost $1,990.But now, Ivanka’s style has become more youthful with fun crop tops and exciting colorsEntertainment attorney Mitra Ahouraian told Business Insider in October 2023 that Ivanka is making a concerted effort to distance herself from her father’s orbit.”Although Ivanka has supported her father, even working for his various companies and in the White House, she has really tried to distance herself from him in the aftermath of his presidency,” they told Business Insider. “I’m not at all surprised that Ivanka has managed to re-engage with her social circles and establish herself as separate and apart from her father.”Hints of her more relaxed, fun style began popping up on her Instagram account around 2022, including a photo that September when she wore a brown sleeveless crop top and a white, high-waisted miniskirt. One month later, she shared a birthday post wearing a black and blue minidress with bright florals that appeared to be designed by Alessandra Rich. The dress initially cost nearly $700 but is currently being sold for $464 on the Italian retail site Baltini.Since then, Ivanka’s style exploration has become more and more eye-catching.She donned a tight minidress with swirling colors designed by Emilio Pucci last May during the F1 Miami Grand Prix weekend in May 2023, Footwear News reported. The dress is not immediately visible on the Pucci website, but a similar dress cost $1,420.The Emilio Pucci dress is, perhaps, one of Ivanka’s boldest looks to date and is a far cry from her previous wardrobe. That same month, she donned a white two-piece set with an off-the-shoulder bandeau top and a matching skirt. It’s unclear who the designer is.And she later partied with Kim Kardashian at the opening of the Fontainebleau Las Vegas hotel in December 2023. At the time, she wore a floor-length gown with a black top and a sparkling silver skirt designed by Monique Lhuillier. The gown retails online for $3,495 on the official website.At the time, Ahouraian told BI it made sense that Ivanka was photographed with Kardashian amid her rebrand.More recently, Ivanka made a splash this month when she, Kushner, and her eldest daughter attended the pre-wedding celebrations for the Ambani family in India.She donned several glimmering, shimmering, and jaw-dropping ensembles designed primarily by Manish Malhotra. Her most liked Instagram photo showed her wearing an all-ivory lehenga set adorned with pearls, crystals, and beads. The price is available only upon request, suggesting a hefty price tag.Only time will tell if Ivanka’s rebrand will be successful, but one thing is clear: she’s rebuilding her image one outfit at a time.
