The yellow first worn by Melania Trump in England was finally shown in Spain at the Carolina Herrera spring/summer 2026show

For the widely-reported state dinner at Windsor Castle on 17 September, Melania Trump chose a shouty yellow gown, a bold colour choice that stood in stark contrast to the event’s traditional formality and drew a divided response from critics and the public. A day later, that yellow—between the flesh of mango, the peel of banana, and the skin of papaya, all ripe—reappeared 1,800km to the south in the Spain’s capital city of Madrid. The timing is interesting, arousing the suspicion that some commercial arrangement might have been made. It is not easy to understand this direct and perfectly timed commercial stunt. A first lady offering a preview of a brand at a grand dinner before seasonal presentation, not in New York, but somewhere closer to where she was.

While past first ladies’ fashion choices influenced trends, they were not typically part of a coordinated, global marketing plan with a specific timeline advantageous to wearer and brand. In this case, the timing suggests a sleek, pre-planned collaboration between the first lady’s team and the brand’s public relations arm. It has been reported that Mrs Trump is a Carolina Herrera “customer”, suggesting she paid for whatever she dons from the brand, and not being remunerated for wearing them. Perhaps, the issue isn’t whether she was paid for putting on the dress for the state dinner, but whether it was appropriate for the first lady to knowingly participate in a commercial marketing strategy for a private company. This kind of arrangement, even without a formal contract, gives the brand a massive commercial advantage and blurs the line between public diplomacy and corporate advertising.

And so, it was at the historic Plaza Mayor in the heart of Madrid that Carolina Herrera decamped New York for, and where the juicy yellow made its part-two appearance. The particular shade showed up in four looks, apart from being the base colour of floral prints in four others. In fact, a key highlight of the collection is the use of colours, including reds and purples, an approach to dressing for warm months that was as predictable as the heat wave. That, and the presence of red roses and the incorporation of Spanish influences such as ‘infanta’ dresses and the surfeit of flounces to outdo the traje de flamenca (flamenco dress) truly relied on surface-level garnishes. They were arguably the most overused symbols of Spanish culture in fashion. In sum, a safer, more commercial approach that prioritises immediate recognizability over designs that disrupt—an easy homage to maximum femininity. In a word, old.

Mr Gordon is not designing for a woman who wants to disappear into a room; he’s catering to she who must be noticed and remembered, just like Melania Trump in that massive dining hall at Windsor Castle. He doubles down on the brand’s legacy of in-your-face glamour, once embodied by the namesake founder, a socialite who depended on a clear, flattering silhouette: the cinched waist, a defined shoulder, the loose white shirt, or a full skirt, all to enhance and announce the traditional female form. While Wes Gordon’s design philosophy is about “color, optimism, beauty and joyful dressing,” as he has stated in interviews, the commercial reality is that his vision aligns perfectly with a very specific and influential segment of the population that has a very public face in Melania Trump. This makes her not just a customer, but a powerful, non-contractual brand ambassador for the aesthetic he is so diligently cultivating. Frankly, it’s exhausting to watch.

Screen shot (top) carolinaherrera/YouTube. Photos: Carolina Herrera