Melania Trump comes out of the shadow at first WH State Dinner, plus full guest list

First Lady Melania Trump, a woman who is more often seen than  heard, is making a statement with her fashion and socializing.  For the frist White House State Dinner of the Rump Administration she came out shining,

Mrs Trump chose to wear a couture Chanel sequined dress in the first White House State Dinner honoring French first couple.  A balance of fashion diplomacy, she wore American designer when welcoming the Macrons earlier int he day.  The white wide-brimmed hat coupled with a skirt suit lit up the internet for its sharpness.  Few first ladies have been known to wear hats or make a fashion statement wearing one that created more buzz than the former model.  Some pointed out the look appeared to tip to Beyonce's hat in "Formation" and a hat the Olivia Pope character wore on Scandal. 

Not only concerned with looking beautiful herself, Melania also focused on the aesthetics of the event.  As the FLOTUS, she serves in the role of hostess and also planned the event down to the most minute details from the Cherry Blossom lined hallway to the gold salt shaker and seat cushions.  Guests dines on rack of lamb and jambalaya. Opera performers from the Kennedy Center provided entertainment.

Throughout the day, long-time friends  President Trump and President Emmanuel Macron were congenial and displayed their fondness for each other openly.  The two men share a bond around being non-establishment politicans.

The guest list below, which ignored congressional democrats, was held as "top secret" until the day of the event.  The Lousiana governor was invited as a tie-in to France, but most guest were federal government officials and billionaire business magnates. LVMH leader Bernard Arnault, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson, KKR co-founder Henry Kravis, 21st Century Fox Chairman Rupert Murdoch, IBM CEO Ginni Rometty and Goldman Sachs Executive Vice President John F.W. Rogers were among attendees. 

Expected Attendees at Tonight’s Dinner in Honor of His Excellency Emmanuel Macron President of the French Republic and Mrs. Brigitte Macron

 

• The Honorable Jerome Adams, Surgeon General, and Mrs. Lacey Adams
• His Excellency Gérard Araud, Ambassador of France to the United States of America and Mr. Pascal Blondeau
• Mr. Bernard Arnault and Mrs. Hélène Arnault
• Her Excellency Nicole Belloubet, Keeper of the Seals and Minister of Justice
• Mr. Phillippe Besson
• His Excellency Jean-Michel Blanquer, Minister of National Education
• The Honorable John Bolton and Mrs. Gretchen Bolton
• Mr. Thierry Breton
• His Excellency Christian Cambon, Senator for Val-de-Marne, President of the Foreign Affairs Committee at the Senate
• Ms. Laurence des Cars
• The Honorable William Cassidy, United States Senator from Louisiana, and Dr. Laura Cassidy
• Mr. Timothy Cook and The Honorable Lisa Jackson
• Mr. Pierre-Olivier Costa
• Ms. Sarah Coulson and Dr. Douglas Bradburn
• Mr. Christian Dargnat
• His Excellency Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs
• Ms. Meghan Duggan
• The Honorable John Bel Edwards, Governor of Louisiana and Mrs. Donna Edwards
• Ms. Laurence Engel
• His Excellency Philippe Étienne, Diplomatic Advisor, G7 and G20 Sherpa of the President of the Republic
• Ms. Barbara Frugier, International Communication Advisor to the Presidency of the Republic
• The Honorable Joseph Hagin
• Mr. David Hamilton and Mrs. Catharine Hamilton
• Mrs. Marillyn Hewson and Mr. James Hewson
• The Honorable Fiona Hill and Mr. Kenneth Keen
• The Honorable Stuart Holliday, former Ambassador for the United States, and Mrs. Gwen Holliday
• The Honorable John F. Kelly and Mrs. Karen Kelly
• The Honorable John Kennedy, United States Senator from Louisiana, and Mrs. Rebecca Kennedy
• The Honorable Henry Kissinger and Mrs. Nancy Kissinger
• Mr. Henry Kravis and Mrs. Marie-Josée Kravis
• The Honorable Lawrence Kudlow and Mrs. Judith Kudlow
• The Honorable Jared Kushner and The Honorable Ivanka Trump
• Ms. Christine Lagarde
• The Honorable Ronald Lauder, former Ambassador for the United States, and Mrs. Jo Carole Lauder
• His Excellency Aurélien Lechevallier, Deputy Diplomatic Advisor, G7 and G20 Sherpa of the President of the Republic
• The Honorable Paul LePage, Governor of Maine and Ms. Lauren LePage
• The Honorable Christopher Liddell and Mrs. Renee Liddell
• His Excellency Bruno Le Maire, Minister of the Economy and Finance
• The Honorable James Mattis, Secretary of Defense
• The Honorable Kevin McCarthy and Mrs. Judy McCarthy
• The Honorable Jamie McCourt, American Ambassador
• Mrs. Ronna McDaniel and Mr. Patrick McDaniel
• The Honorable Stephen Miller
• Mr. Emmanuel Miquel
• The Honorable Aaron Wess Mitchell and Mrs. Elizabeth Mitchell
• The Honorable Steven T. Mnuchin, Secretary of the Treasury and Ms. Louise Linton
• Dr. Mary Morton and Mr. Keith Forman
• Mr. Rupert Murdoch and Mrs. Jerry Murdoch
• The Honorable Kirstjen Nielsen, Secretary of Homeland Security and Mr. Chad Wolf
• Her Excellency Florence Parly, Minister for the Armed Forces
• The Vice President of the United States and Mrs. Karen Pence
• Mr. Emanuel Perrotin
• Mr. Thomas Pesquet
• The Most Revered Christophe Pierre, Titular Archbishop of Guneia, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States
• Mr. Hervé Pierre Braillard
• The Honorable Michael Pompeo and Mrs. Susan Pompeo
• The Honorable Dina Powell and The Honorable David McCormick
• General Benoît Puga
• The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States and Mrs. Jane Roberts
• Admiral Bernard Rogel
• The Honorable John F. W. Rogers and Ms. Deborah Lehr
• Mrs. Virginia Rometty and Mr. Anthony Mark Rometty
• The Honorable, Wilbur L. Ross, Junior, The Secretary of Commerce and Mrs. Hilary Ross
• The Honorable Edward Royce, United States Representative from California and Mrs. Maria Royce
• Mr. David Rubenstein and Ms. Gabrielle Rubenstein
• The Honorable, Paul Ryan, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and Mrs. Janna Ryan
• The Honorable Sarah Sanders and Mr. Bryan Sanders
• Her Excellency Marielle de Sarnez, National Assembly Member for Paris, President of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs Committee
• Mr. Guy Savoy
• Mr. Stephen Schwarzman and Mrs. Christine Schwarzman
• The Honorable Thomas Shannon, Jr.
• Mr. John Shuster
• Ms. Annette Simmons and Mr. Gerald Fronterhouse
• Mr. Frederick Smith and Mrs. Diane Smith
• The Honorable, John J. Sullivan, Deputy Secretary of State and Ms. Graciela Rodriguez
• Mrs. Julie Sweet and Mr. Chad Sweet
• Mr. Hugo Verges
• Dr. Benedict Wolf and Mrs. Ursula Wolf