An iconic piece of fashion history, Melania Trump's lavish Christian Dior wedding gown from her 2005 nuptials with Donald Trump has surfaced on eBay, priced at $45,000.
The Daily Mail reported that the gown was once worth $187,000 but is now available for less than a quarter of its original cost.
The gown, crafted by John Galliano of Christian Dior, was featured in the Trumps' extravagant wedding held at Palm Beach. Melania Trump's choice of attire turned heads for its grandeur and intricately detailed design, embodying the opulence of the event, which hosted numerous high-profile guests.
Melania chose her wedding dress in Paris, with the help of then Vogue editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, aiming for something uniquely spectacular.
The dress not only symbolized her personal style but also set a benchmark for luxury wedding fashion with its elaborate craftsmanship.
The original cost paid by Melania for this exquisite gown was a staggering $187,000. It featured a figure-hugging silhouette made from 300 duchess satin, a mermaid skirt, and a 13-foot train adorned with Swarovski crystals, requiring over 550 hours of painstaking labor to complete.
Later, the gown changed hands and underwent several modifications by its new owner, who purchased it in 2010 for $70,000 through a mutual friend of Melania's. Describing the alterations, the seller added, "new layer of satin to the bottom of the dress and a few more embroidery pieces on the top."
To accommodate her larger size, the seller updated the gown's dimensions from Melania's original 0-2 to a more inclusive 4-6, which she stated could be reversed by removing an added back panel. These changes were aimed at personalizing the fit while retaining the original grandeur of the wedding dress.
Furthermore, the gown was adorned with new fabric layers and strap adjustments necessary to fit the seller's physique, diversifying the gown's appearance while maintaining its original integrity.
Despite the listing capturing widespread attention, controversy erupted over whether the gown for sale is genuinely Melania's.
Skeptics, including a source close to the Trump family, pointed out that Melania's true couture gown is secured at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, suggesting the listed dress might be a replica or a different gown altogether.
The dress was first advertised on eBay on January 21, 2025, by a seller who remains anonymous. Liana Satenstein, a journalist at Substack, first reported the sale after her friend Patricia Torvald stumbled upon it while searching for vintage Dior dresses from the '80s.
Despite questions about its authenticity, the wedding gown remains a piece of significant historical and cultural importance, reflecting a momentous event that blended celebrity status with presidential prestige, as Donald Trump would later become the 45th President of the United States.
The allure of owning a piece of celebrity history continues to ignite the interest of collectors and fashion aficionados.
The seller's claim about directly purchasing it from Melania in 2010 and the detailed description in the eBay listing add layers of intrigue and encourage potential buyers to engage with the story of this unique gown.
Inevitably, the gown's sale speaks volumes about the ongoing fascination with high-profile weddings and the luxurious garments worn there.
Even modified, the dress represents a fascinating chapter in the legacy of high fashion and American celebrity culture.
Whether the gown sells for the asking price of $45,000 or finds its credibility challenged further, it underscores the complex interplay between authenticity, memory, and value in the world of vintage fashion collecting.