Only a few first ladies have done this

Melania Trump’s 2025 inaugural ball gown is headed to one of the nation’s most storied museum collections.

The first lady will donate the strapless black-and-white Hervé Pierre design she wore on Jan. 20, 2025, to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, where it will join the First Ladies Gallery. The dramatic look, defined by its sharp black accent and clean white silhouette, marked President Donald Trump’s second inauguration as the 47th president of the United States.

The gown’s journey from sketch to spotlight was also documented in her recent film, Melania, which captured designer Hervé Pierre sketching concepts and overseeing fittings ahead of the historic evening. The documentary offered a rare behind-the-scenes look at the selection process, underscoring the pressure and symbolism attached to inaugural fashion.

Trump is expected to deliver remarks during a ceremony at the Washington museum as the dress formally enters the collection. According to the White House, having two inaugural gowns housed in the Smithsonian is “a rare distinction held by only a few first ladies in history.”

This will mark Trump’s second contribution to the museum’s celebrated holdings. In 2017, she donated the vanilla silk crepe off-the-shoulder gown she wore to the inaugural balls following her husband’s first swearing in. That design, also created by Pierre, featured a slit skirt, ruffled trim from neckline to hem, and a claret ribbon at the waist. It was formally presented during a ceremony at the museum and placed on display as part of the long-running exhibition dedicated to America’s first ladies.

“I must tell you that it can be a daunting task to choose an outfit that will be [memorialized] and become a part of our nation’s story and forever history,” Melania Trump said in 2017, when she donated her first inaugural gown.

At the time, museum director John Gray emphasized the historical continuity behind the gesture. “Today Melania Trump is taking part in a more than century-old tradition,” he said. “The first inaugural gown donated to the Smithsonian was by Helen Taft, and more than 100 years later we are proud to have Melania Trump donate to this extraordinary collection.”

The First Ladies exhibition itself dates back to 1914, when it became the first Smithsonian display to prominently feature women. Over the decades, it has evolved in size and scope, now showcasing 26 dresses and more than 160 objects tied to presidential spouses. The collection includes pieces worn by figures such as Frances Cleveland, Lou Hoover, Jacqueline Kennedy, Laura Bush and Michelle Obama, along with personal artifacts, White House china and other materials tracing more than two centuries of history.

Among the standout gowns are Grace Coolidge’s flapper-style evening dress, Eleanor Roosevelt’s slate blue crepe inaugural ball gown, and Helen Taft’s early 20th century contribution, which helped launch the tradition of donating inaugural attire.

The exhibition is organized into thematic sections including “The Fashionable First Lady,” which examines how presidential spouses have influenced style and sparked public debate over what is considered appropriate for the White House. Other sections explore the first lady’s role as national hostess, the symbolism of inaugurations and the evolving expectations placed on women in the role.

“It is an honor and a privilege to dedicate my inaugural gown to such an iconic exhibit at the National Museum of American History,” said First Lady Melania Trump.

Beyond fashion, the exhibit also highlights the broader influence of women such as Dolley Madison, Mary Lincoln, Edith Roosevelt and Lady Bird Johnson, who each shaped the position in distinct ways during pivotal moments in American history.

For Trump, the addition of her 2025 gown places her once again inside a collection that has become one of the Smithsonian’s most popular attractions. More than a century after the first inaugural dress entered the archive, the tradition continues, blending politics, pageantry and personal style into a permanent chapter of the nation’s story.