Melania Trump’s choice of a bright yellow, off-the-shoulder evening gown for Wednesday’s white-tie state banquet at Windsor Castle drew a surge of online criticism that fixated on what detractors called an “inappropriate” detail—the bare-shoulder Bardot neckline—even as etiquette specialists said the look did not breach royal protocol. The First Lady, 55, wore a Carolina Herrera floor-length gown cinched with a lilac-toned belt and paired with emerald earrings at the dinner hosted by King Charles III and Queen Camilla during President Donald Trump’s second state visit to the United Kingdom. Fashion desk write-ups identified the dress and accessories from pooled photography and noted the colour choice was an unusually vivid departure for a first lady who had otherwise favoured neutrals on the trip.
Reaction online was immediate and divided, with critics focusing on whether exposed shoulders were appropriate at a royal state banquet. “I do not care for Melania’s dress. A rare miss for her. Not flattering & the color yellow is too harsh,” one account posted on X, among comments collected by Euronews. Another user cited by the outlet said: “I love Melania, but this dress is hideous on her and inappropriately casual for a state dinner.” Supporters countered with praise for the colour and silhouette, but the thread that sustained criticism overnight was the neckline. Euronews described the debate as part of a wider split over the first lady’s wardrobe during the visit.
Similar sentiment was aggregated by international sites that monitor celebrity and royal fashion chatter. Hindustan Times’ trending desk reproduced posts that called the look “ugly,” with one user writing: “I’m sorry, but I hate Melania’s yellow dress,” while acknowledging others who said the gown was “modern and fresh.” Yahoo’s entertainment feed likewise headlined that the gown had been “trolled” hours after attention to an earlier purple wide-brimmed hat, underscoring how quickly the banquet dress became a magnet for social-media criticism irrespective of its compliance with formal codes.
The question of what constitutes “appropriate” eveningwear for such occasions is not settled by law or palace decree, and etiquette sources pushed back at claims that the off-the-shoulder cut breached protocol. Debrett’s—often cited for British formalwear guidance—defines white-tie expectations for women as “a full-length evening dress or ball gown, with or without sleeves,” language that does not preclude Bardot necklines or bare shoulders. A separate practical explainer in the Independent states simply that white tie “would be appropriate and expected for state banquets,” with women “usually” in long formal evening gowns, without prescribing covered shoulders. HELLO! magazine quoted etiquette expert Jo Hayes saying, “Despite the naysayers, the US First Lady did not break royal protocol with her off-the-shoulder canary yellow gown… She did, however, make a very daring sartorial choice.” Those statements collectively undercut assertions that an uncovered shoulder line is inherently improper at St George’s Hall.