Ivanka Trump made a bold statement at her father Donald Trump's second inauguration, in a departure from her generally reserved public posture since leaving the White House four years ago.
The First Daughter - who has sworn off a return to politics since working as a senior adviser during Trump's first term - danced with husband Jared Kushner in a ball gown inspired by Hollywood muse Audrey Hepburn.
The elegant black-and-white floral dress, designed by Hubert de Givenchy, was originally worn by Hepburn in her movie Sabrina, co-starring William Holden. But Ivanka customized the look, swapping Hepburn's iconic long, white gloves for black ones.
The White House said in a statement that Ivanka is "honored" to pay homage to one of her idols.
“She views it as a great privilege to honor her legacy in this way, and is incredibly grateful to the team at Givenchy for bringing this moment to life," the statement said.
Ivanka shared a photograph of her wearing the dress with her X followers, prompting a response from Elon Musk: "Make fashion beautiful again."
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) January 21, 2025
During a recent podcast appearance, Ivanka said she is prioritizing being a mother, and has no desire to go back into the "dark" world of politics.
"I love policy and impact. I hate politics. And unfortunately, the two are not separable…There is a darkness to that world that I don’t really want to welcome into mine," she told The Skinny Confidential's Him+Her podcast.
Ivanka's desire to honor Hepburn is "no surprise," Sean Hepburn Ferrer, 64, told the Daily Mail, noting his mother has inspired generations of women.
“Over the past 71 years her legacy has grown to become transgenerational and transnational,” he continued. “Her elegance, which has its roots in her inner beauty and spirit, is often a reference point, an anchor, for many celebrities, actresses and models in these times in which we appear to have somewhat lost our way.”
He noted that Ivanka's mother, Ivana, dated Italian aristocrat Rofredo Gaetani, whose father, Lorian Gaetani, was a lifelong friend of Hepburn. Also, Marla Maples, Ivanka's stepmother and the second wife of President Trump, sat on the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund advisory board in the early 1990s. The fund once held a charitable event to mark the first birthday of Ivanka's sister, Tiffany, that drew inspiration from Breakfast at Tiffany's.
Hepburn was born the daughter of a Dutch baroness, Ella van Heemstra, and a British-Austrian businessman, Joseph Hepburn-Ruston. In the 1950s and 60s, she became a global icon with movies like My Fair Lady, Sabrina, and Breakfast at Tiffany's, and later won praise for her charitable work through UNICEF.
She died in 1993 at age 63 from abdominal cancer.
