Untangling the Crazy Web of Fashion Designers We Saw at the Inauguration

Inauguration Day dressing is a big deal; it can not only establish a designer but also can potentially move markets and communicate certain values about the incoming family. And yet brewing underneath the well-pressed threads of the Trump women during Friday’s inauguration was a tangled web of fashion rivalry, anxious to rear its head. Here we untangle that web.

There are three brands that are important to this tale: Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, and Hervé Pierre. The first, Oscar de la Renta, made its initial appearance on Friday on a Trump in the form of an asymmetrical white jacket and trouser set on the back of Ivanka. For fashion insiders, the design seemed to hark back to a pre-fall look from the buzzy label Monse. And for good reason: The creators of Monse — Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia — are currently helming Oscar de la Renta.

Kim and Garcia are two important characters in this story. In short, the designers left Oscar de la Renta when the brand tapped Peter Copping as its creative director. The two were widely expected to jointly ascend to the post. It was then that they started their label, Monse. As time passed, they caught the attention of another brand integral to our tale, Carolina Herrera.

In February, Carolina Herrera hired Kim and Garcia. Since the demise of that relationship, made public by a now-settled lawsuit, it has become clear that the president of Carolina Herrera (he’s no longer with the company) hired Kim with intentions on having her eventually replace Herrera as head of the brand. The role would have come replete with a $1 million salary and other fun enticements, such as a clothing allowance. Eventually, it became clear to Kim, however, that Herrera was not aware of the steps the brand was taking. After just one collection, which was the most commercially successful in Carolina Herrera history, she left with Garcia, eventually finding their way back to Oscar. But back to the inauguration.

Herrera got its first appearance on Inauguration Day on Ivanka at the balls — the first daughter had worn the brand twice before during the weekend. The sheer, full-skirted glittering princess gown certainly made a statement visually. But when taken in consideration with the de la Renta from earlier, it was quite curious; Carolina Herrera is considered the direct competitor, the rival even, of de la Renta.

While that might seem like a dramatic statement, it’s one Herrera believes deeply. The lawsuit that involved Laura Kim and Carolina Herrera saw Herrera attempting to halt Kim’s work on de la Renta collections. Apparently, Kim’s contract included a noncompete clause that banned her from working for competitor brands for six months after leaving Herrera. Not just other brands: Oscar de la Renta, their rival. What twists this story more is Melania Trump’s inclusion.

While Melania’s day look was Ralph Lauren, meaning it had no parts in this web of contention, for the inaugural balls she wore our third important brand: Hervé Pierre. If you’re not familiar with the name, it’s understandable, because prior to Inauguration Day Pierre didn’t design under his own name. In fact, up until February 2016 he was the creative director at Herrera, meaning he preceded Kim. And where was he before that 14-year tenure? Oscar de la Renta. What an incestuous world the fashion industry is.

It’s quite the conundrum that the Trump family (or some other behind-the-scenes force, like, say, an editor in chief from Vogue who’s notorious for her diplomacy) braided together in one day. But it does raise some questions: Will Pierre launch his own fashion brand now, considering the flood of press he’s set to receive? He’s reportedly been serving as a stylist to the Trump women for the past few months, and, at as young as 24 years old, he was leading couture at Pierre Balmain. Also, is it Herrera’s policy to poach designers from Oscar? Having scooped up both Pierre and Kim after they left the brand, it would seem that way. Lastly, was this all in some way the sign of some sort of peace accord, done in tandem with the quiet lawsuit settlement only weeks ago that allowed Kim to continue work on the upcoming de la Renta collection?

Only time and “sources close to the matter” will tell.

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