Anna Wintour offers scathing review of Melania Trump's fashion

Anna Wintour has given an icy review of Melania Trump's outfits – years after the First Lady accused her magazine of being 'biased' for not featuring her on the cover.

The former Vogue editor, 76, appeared on the cover of the latest issue of the iconic magazine alongside Meryl Streep earlier this week.

The legendary fashion mogul and actress also sat down for a wide-ranging interview with Greta Gerwig, during which they discussed everything from the upcoming Devil Wears Prada sequel to the clothing choices of various women in power over the years.

When Gerwig asked the stars how women can dress to 'communicate power,' Wintour could not stop gushing over Michelle Obama and the First Lady of New York City, Rama Duwaji, for their fashion choices.

She also brought up Melania's sense of style but was noticeably less complimentary.

'I don't think wearing a power suit to the office is in any way necessary,' Wintour began, seemingly throwing some subtle shade towards Melania, 55, who is well–known for dressing in power suits.

'Think about the women that one admires: Mrs Obama comes to mind. Whether she's wearing J Crew or Duro Olowu or Matthieu Blazy's Chanel, she always looks like herself,' she continued.

'I'm full of admiration for New York City's new first lady because she looks so cool and wears a lot of vintage – young and modern and also entirely herself.' 

Wintour then added: 'To be fair, Melania Trump also always looks like herself when she dresses.'

Streep, 76, also weighed in on some of Melania's past looks, particularly the controversial coat that President Donald Trump's wife wore in 2018 to survey a migrant detention center, which had the words 'I Really Don't Care. Do U?' featured on the back.

'I have so many thoughts about this. I think the most powerful message that our current First Lady sent was in the coat that said, "I Really Don't Care. Do U?" when she was going to see migrant children who were incarcerated,' Streep said. 

'All dress is about expressing yourself, but we're also subject to larger historical and political sweeps of expectation. 

'I'm stunned at how women in power have to have bare arms on television while men are covered in shirts and ties or a suit. 

'There's an apology built into women. They have to show their smallness. It's compensatory: The advancements of women in the second half of the 20th century and the beginning of this one have been destabilizing. 

'It's as if women have to say, "I'm little. I can't walk in these shoes. I can't run. I'm bare, not threatening."'

At the time, Melania's jacket caused an avalanche of criticism as she left the world guessing what she meant by making such a bold statement. 

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She went on to address her controversial choice of attire in her tell–all 2024 memoir.

Melania called the message 'discreet yet impactful' and claimed it was meant to protest against 'anonymously sourced reporting.' 

'I was determined… not to let the media's false narratives affect my mission to help the children and families at the border,' she wrote.

'In fact, I decided to let them know that their criticism would never stop me from doing what I feel is right. 

'To make the point, I wore a particular jacket as I boarded the plane, a jacket that quickly became famous.'

She recounted how, when the plane door closed, her press secretary's inbox was 'flooded with urgent emails from top–tier media outlets regarding the jacket.'

She recalled her conversation with her press secretary: '"It's a message for the media," I said, "to let them know I was unconcerned with their opinions of me" [but] she told me I couldn't say that. "Why not? It is the truth."

'I disagreed with her insistence that I couldn't say that. Ignoring my comments, she told a CNN reporter she was friendly with, that it was simply a jacket, a fashion choice with no underlying message.'

Melania wrote that the frenzy over the jacket 'overshadowed the importance of the children, the border, and the policy change' and called it 'just another example of the media's irresponsible behavior.'

Wintour and Melania have quite a history.

Melania appeared on the cover of Vogue in February 2005, when the Conde Nast title scored exclusive shots of her in her wedding dress as she married Donald. 

But in 2019, Wintour – who is a known Democrat – suggested that she would not be interested in featuring her again, telling Christiane Amanpour at the time: 'Those of us that work at Conde Nast believe that you have to stand up for what you believe in and you have to take a point of view.'

Melania's former spokesman Stephanie Grisham hit back days later, insisting that being 'on the cover of Vogue doesn't define Mrs Trump,' adding that she had 'been there, done that long before she was First Lady.'

In 2022, Melania lashed out at Wintour for putting Jill Biden on the front cover of her magazine yet failing to do the same for her while her husband was in office.

Melania told Fox Nation at the time that she believed media bias against her was the reason for the discrepancy. 

'How did you put up with the constant criticism?' interviewer Pete Hegseth asked her.

'Take Vogue, for example – five months into Joe Biden's presidency, Jill Biden's on the cover. [Vice President] Kamala Harris is on the cover before she's even sworn in. 

'Hillary Clinton was on the cover when she was first lady. Michelle was on the cover three times.

'Yet with your business background and your fashion background and your beauty, never on the cover of Vogue. Why the double standard?'

'They're biased and they have likes and dislikes, and it's so obvious. And I think American people and everyone sees it,' Melania responded. 

'It was their decision, and I have much more important things to do – and I did in the White House – than being on the cover of Vogue.'