Presidential Debate: Melania Trump and Jill Biden epitomise glamour

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Things may have been heated from the off between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden at the first 2020 presidential debate – but that didn’t stop several eyes from turning to their incredibly chic wives, who both put on a very stylish display while supporting their spouses at the milestone event. 

Melania, 50, looked like she was ready to get down to business in a $3,340 figure-flattering pinstripe suit from one of her favorite designers, Dolce & Gabbana. 

Meanwhile Jill, 69, opted for a more classic look, donning a green silk dress that featured funky fringing detail on the front – a design that she was first snapped in back in October 2017 when she attended a fundraising event with her husband in New York City.  

But while the women may have chosen incredibly different designs for the evening, they had one clear style choice in common: face masks. 

The First Lady opted for a disposable white face covering to match the white button-up that she wore under her suit, while Jill chose a dark green cloth design from Athleta that was almost exactly the same shade as her fringed frock. 

However it was there that sartorial similarities ended. 

Melania, whose fashion choices have been the subject of much interest throughout her husband’s time in the White House, appeared as though she had dressed to complement the President’s style for this evening – mirroring his signature suit with her own fashion-forward spin on the look. 

But while President Trump chose a navy design for the evening, Melania chose a black design with white pinstripes and sharp shoulder pads for added oomph, which she paired with a crisp white button-up shirt, and a pair of $695 sky-high Christian Louboutin heels. 

She kept her accessories for the evening to a minimum, wearing a single ring on her finger, while her long brunette locks were styled in her signature loose waves for the evening.  

While she covered half her face with a mask, the First Lady didn’t let that stop her from injected some great glamor into her beauty look, showing off her signature smokey eye above the protective covering, which she appears to have removed once she took her socially-distanced seat in the front row at the venue, alongside her stepdaughter Ivanka. 

Earlier in the evening, Melania had a chance to show off her glam for the evening to better effect when she was pictured boarding Air Force One with her husband as they prepared to fly to Cleveland for the event. 

She also flaunted her fashion choice in a quick selfie snapped by her stepson Eric’s wife Lara that shows the two women posing happily alongside Donald’s daughters, Ivanka and Tiffany.  

Jill on the other hand debuted her look at the debate itself, having spent the day campaigning for her husband in Cleveland, leaving him to travel to the event by himself, while she traveled ahead to try and drum up supporters for Joe. 

However, longtime Biden supporters and followers will no doubt recognize the ensemble, which Jill has worn on a number of occasions in the past, including during an appearance on MSNBC in February of this year. 

The design is clearly a favorite for the former Vice President wife, who was also pictured stepping out in the green dress back in October 2017, when she and Joe attended the 5th Annual Save The Children Illumination gala at The Museum of Natural History in New York City, where they rubbed shoulders with actress Jennifer Garner.  

Like Melania, Jill chose to pull out all the stops with the glamour, wearing her blonde hair in chic waves, while her eyes were framed with several coats of mascara. 

Unlike her counterpart, she chose to add several accessories to her look, including a few gold bangles around her wrist, and a simple gold necklace. Jill finished the look off with some statement earrings and a pair of $995 black-and-tan Valentino Rockstud heels. 

Both women had the chance to show off their ensembles in full at the end of the evening, when they each joined their husbands on-stage to celebrate the end of the first presidential debate of the year – with both Melania and Jill grinning happily, despite the rather heated and tense arguments that took place throughout the event. 

Melania held her husband’s hand in a supportive gesture, while Jill stood arm in arm with Joe, with both pairs offering waves to the spectators.  

However it was not just Melania and Jill who made a stylish splash at the debate. 

Joining the First Lady in supporting the President were her stepdaughters Ivanka and Tiffany, who were joined by Eric’s wife Lara, and Don Jr’s longtime partner Kimberly Guilfoyle, with all four ladies going the extra mile to ensure that they represented the President in fashionable form. 

The group were pictured together ahead of the start of the debate, waiting in the wings as they prepared to head out into the venue and assume their seats, with Ivanka leading the way as they all entered together. 

Mother-of-three Ivanka, who appears to have attended the debate without her husband, fellow White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, followed in Melania’s fashion footsteps by wearing a pantsuit, however unlike her stepmother, she opted for a cream design from Gabriela Hearst.  

The focus of the look was the $3,210 blazer, which she paired with some matching pants, and a pair of sky-high strappy heels. She was also seen carrying a pricey white $4,700 Chanel handbag to complete her look. 

Ivanka, who wore her hair in a pin straight style around her shoulders, finished off her ensemble by donning a protective face mask, plumping for a fun floral design that she removed as she took her seat alongside Melania – with relations between the two women seeming cordial, despite recent rumors that they do not get along. 

Ivanka also had the chance to show off her look of choice earlier in the day when she joined her father and other family members at Andrews Air Base, where she boarded Air Force One to join the President on his journey to Cleveland ahead of the debate.  

The First Daughter was joined on on-board the presidential aircraft by her brothers, Don Jr and Eric, and their respective partners, as well as her sister Tiffany, with the ladies all happily snapping social media photos ahead of the debate – including the mask-clad selfie with Melania. 

Mirroring Ivanka’s look, Kimberly, 51, wore a white pantsuit for the evening, however she followed Melania’s lead when it came to styling her long brunette hair, which she wore in loose waves around her shoulders. 

When she boarded Air Force One with Don Jr, former TV host had been seen carrying a funky embellished tote that read Rock and Roll in pearls – no doubt a nod to Cleveland’s much-loved Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – however when she arrived at the venue, she was no longer carrying it. 

She continued the pearl theme while in attendance at the debate by wearing a blue pearl-embellished Lele Sadoughi face mask that added a fun hint of color to her other-wise all-white look. 

President Trump’s female family members appeared to have coordinated their looks in pairs for the evening; while Ivanka and Kimberly both wore white pantsuits, Tiffany and Lara were both pictured in form-fitting black dresses at the event. 

Georgetown Law graduate Tiffany, who has become a much more regular feature at her father’s event since she finished her studies, donned a simple frock with a plunging neckline and a flattering peplum-style ruffle at the waist, accessorizing with a number of gold bracelets on her wrist and a gold locket-style necklace. 

Much like her older sister and her stepmother, Tiffany, 26, amped up the glamour as far as her makeup look was concerned, modeling long, thick eyelashes, smokey shadow, and pretty pink blush that helped to accentuate the big smile on her face as she took her seat alongside Don Jr, Ivanka and Melania.  

The younger First Daughter appears to have changed her ensemble while on-board Air Force One; she was pictured in a selfie with sister-in-law Lara wearing a bright pink blazer and a black turtleneck, however by the time she arrived at the venue, she had donned her black debate dress. 

Just like Ivanka, Tiffany’s long blonde locks were styled straight and sleek around her shoulders, and she completed her look for the evening with a navy blue face mask. 

Mother-of-two Lara meanwhile also kept things simple with her dress choice for the evening, modeling a chic black frock that featured a flattering scoop neckline and short above-the-elbow sleeves that emphasized the runner’s toned arms.

The 37-year-old completed her look with a leopard-print face mask, and she was seen carrying her iPhone in her hand as she entered the venue alongside her husband and his siblings, choosing to go without a purse for the evening.  She did however accessorize with several bracelets and an iWatch that was clearly visible on her wrist as she headed to her seat. 

Lara wore her blonde locks in chic waves for the evening, and – just like her husband’s family – she made sure to go all out with the glamour, wearing a nude lipstick, plenty of bronzer, and several coats of mascara. 

All of Trump’s support group had smiles on their faces during and after the debate, despite the ugly brawl that took place between the two political rivals on stage – with Joe telling Donald to ‘shut up’ early on in the event, before the two men began savaging one another over hot-button topics including healthcare, the Supreme Court, and the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Joe, 77, also called Donald, 74, a clown on numerous occasions during their contentious first presidential debate, slapping him down as the President repeatedly interrupted his answers. 

The President tried to command the stage from out of the box, interrupting his rival repeatedly to make his point, counter Joe, and push himself into the conversation.

It happened so many times that moderate Chris Wallace stepped in, asking the president to let Biden finish his answer and chided, ‘I’m the moderator of this debate and I would like you to let me ask my question and then you can answer.’

The 90-minute show down between the presidential contenders proved early on that it would a be a knock-out, drag-down match, and their rivalry became increasingly heated throughout the evening as they repeatedly spoke over one another, with Wallace stepping in again and again to urge both men to give the other their turn before voicing their own point.