First lady Melania Trump has drawn fresh attention to the Trump White House’s relationship with Saudi Arabia after appearing in an emerald green evening gown for a formal dinner honouring Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Washington. The strapless Elie Saab dress, worn for a black-tie event at the White House on 18 November, has been widely interpreted as a visual nod to the Saudi national flag at a moment when the kingdom’s human rights record remains under intense international scrutiny.
Melania Trump arrived in the East Room alongside President Donald Trump to greet the crown prince, who was visiting Washington for talks on defence, trade and energy. The dinner was one of the first major White House social events of Trump’s second term to honour a foreign leader and marked a high-profile reset in ties with Riyadh following years of criticism over the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the Saudi-led war in Yemen.
Photographs from the evening show the first lady in a floor-length, ruched gown in a deep shade of green that closely resembles the solid green field of the Saudi flag, which carries a white Arabic inscription and sword. The colour choice immediately prompted debate among observers and on social media, where users suggested the outfit amounted to a deliberate gesture of respect toward the visiting delegation and a sign of support for the administration’s push to strengthen economic and defence links with the kingdom.
The dress itself is a ready-to-wear design by Lebanese couturier Elie Saab, currently on sale for about 3,350 dollars, according to fashion industry reports. The gown is made from coated jersey intended to mimic the sheen of leather, with a fitted bodice and soft draping through the skirt. Saab’s fashion house confirmed that the piece had been purchased from one of its boutiques rather than commissioned, and that it was not informed in advance that the design would be worn at the White House dinner.
Her stylist, Hervé Pierre, told reporters that the gown had been bought “off the rack” but declined to say whether the colour had been chosen to send a particular signal. That silence has not prevented speculation. Commentators and viewers highlighted the parallel with the Saudi flag and the broader place of green in Islamic symbolism, noting that the colour is closely tied to religious tradition and has featured prominently in regional political imagery.
The symbolism goes beyond the hue. Saab staged one of the largest fashion shows ever held in the Middle East during Riyadh’s recent Fashion Season, a flagship cultural event within Crown Prince Mohammed’s Vision 2030 economic diversification programme. For critics, the presence of a Riyadh-linked designer at a White House dinner that celebrated renewed US-Saudi ties underscored how questions of soft power and public image now sit alongside negotiations over arms sales, investment and security co-operation.
For Melania Trump, the appearance was notable simply because she was there. Throughout Donald Trump’s return to office, the first lady has maintained a comparatively low public profile, splitting her time between the White House, New York and Florida and skipping many official photo opportunities. Her decision to lead the receiving line for the Saudi delegation, wearing one of the most eye-catching gowns of the administration’s second term, signalled that the White House viewed the crown prince’s visit as a diplomatic priority.
The dinner itself formed part of a broader visit in which the crown prince met senior US officials and business leaders to discuss defence contracts, including a proposed sale of F-35 fighter jets, and deeper energy co-operation. At an earlier meeting in the Oval Office, President Trump praised the Saudi leader in unusually warm terms, telling him, “It’s an honor to be your friend, and it’s an honor that you’re here.” The remark encapsulated the administration’s determination to reset a relationship strained by years of international outrage over Khashoggi’s murder and other human rights concerns.
Crown Prince Mohammed was identified by the CIA in 2018 as having played a leading role in the operation that killed Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, an allegation the Saudi government has denied. While previous US administrations imposed sanctions on some Saudi officials and publicly criticised the killing, President Trump has repeatedly emphasised Riyadh’s importance as a purchaser of American weapons and a partner in confronting Iran.
Against that backdrop, Melania Trump’s embrace of the Saudi national colour was seen by many as a visual reinforcement of her husband’s message that the kingdom remains a valued ally despite the controversy surrounding its de facto ruler. Social media users circulated images of the gown side-by-side with the Saudi flag, arguing that the resemblance was unlikely to be accidental. Others saw it as part of a broader pattern in which the first lady has used fashion to echo or acknowledge the culture of visiting leaders, noting earlier instances in which she wore garments that appeared to reference local traditions during trips abroad.
Supporters of the first lady rejected the idea that the dress represented an endorsement of Saudi policies, describing it instead as an example of diplomatic dressing intended to show courtesy to guests. They pointed out that royal and presidential spouses frequently incorporate colours or motifs associated with a visitor’s flag during state occasions, and argued that the focus on symbolism risked overshadowing the substance of the discussions on defence and trade. Those arguments were echoed by some observers at the dinner, who characterised the gown as elegant but politically neutral.
The debate over the dress fits into a longer-running conversation about Melania Trump’s role and influence as first lady. A former model who has consistently favoured high-end European designers, she has often allowed her wardrobe to speak more loudly than her limited official statements. Fashion analysts have previously highlighted moments when her clothing choices seemed to carry implicit messages, from a Ralph Lauren blue ensemble that drew comparisons to Jacqueline Kennedy on Inauguration Day to a controversial jacket emblazoned with the words “I really don’t care, do u?” worn on a trip to a migrant detention facility.
In this case, the choice of a Lebanese designer whose recent work has been showcased in Riyadh added another layer of meaning to an already charged occasion. Saab’s large-scale runway show in the Saudi capital was one of the centrepieces of Riyadh Fashion Season, itself part of the crown prince’s efforts to present the kingdom as a more open, entertainment-friendly destination while retaining tight control over political dissent.By wearing his creation at a dinner intended to highlight economic and cultural ties between Washington and Riyadh, Melania Trump appeared to align her personal brand of glamour with the crown prince’s modernisation narrative.
Human rights advocates, however, have warned that such carefully staged images risk obscuring ongoing concerns about repression in Saudi Arabia, including the detention of activists and the continued fallout from Khashoggi’s killing. They argue that lavish ceremonies and symbolic gestures, whether in fashion or architecture, should not distract from calls for accountability and reform. The White House has not publicly linked the first lady’s gown to any political message, and officials have stressed that the visit is focused on mutual security and economic interests.
The moment at the White House also underlined the crown prince’s rehabilitation on the international stage. After initially facing a degree of isolation from Western leaders following the Khashoggi affair, he has gradually re-emerged as a central figure in global energy markets and regional diplomacy, particularly as major economies seek to secure oil supplies and investment. The Washington visit, complete with formal dinner and photo opportunities alongside the US president and first lady, was widely seen as confirmation that strategic considerations have outweighed earlier calls for his ostracism.
For Melania Trump, the evening added another entry to a record of appearances in which clothing becomes part of the diplomatic script. Whether the green Elie Saab gown was chosen to send a precise message to the Saudi crown prince, to gesture more broadly at cultural respect or simply because it was considered flattering, it has become a focal point in public discussion of the visit and of Washington’s evolving stance toward Riyadh. With few public remarks from the first lady herself, and only a non-committal response from her stylist, the question of intent is likely to remain unresolved, leaving the dress to be interpreted through the prism of a relationship that continues to balance strategic partnership against unresolved human rights concerns.