Meryl Streep and Anna Wintour discussed the fashion choices of first ladies in a Vogue interview, with Streep criticizing Melania Trump’s 2018 green trench coat that read “I really don’t care, do u?” and the conversation also praised the authentic styles of Michelle Obama and New York City first lady Rama Duwaji ahead of a Vogue cover and the release of The Devil Wears Prada 2.
Meryl Streep has some critiques of a fashion choice made by First Lady Melania Trump.
During a joint interview for Vogue’s May cover story, former Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour discussed how first ladies like Michelle Obama and Trump stay authentic while expressing themselves through their wardrobe. The “Devil Wears Prada” star then recalled Trump’s green short trench coat she wore while visiting a Texas migrant children’s shelter in 2018.
The Zara jacket prompted backlash over a message on its back written in white letters that read “I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?”
“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 told Wintour and interview moderator Greta Gerwig. “All dress is about expressing yourself, but we’re also subject to larger historical and political sweeps of expectation.”
A spokesperson for the first lady at the time said there was no hidden message, though President Donald Trump later said that the jacket was a slam at the media and that “Melania has learned how dishonest they are, and she truly no longer cares!”
Streep later argued that women in power often must bare arms on television while men are covered in a suit and tie or a shirt.
“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.'”
Anna Wintour applauds New York City’s first lady Rama Duwaji
While arguing that women don’t need to wear a power suit to the office to exude power, Wintour told Streep that she admires how Michelle Obama, Melania Trump, and New York City first lady Rama Duwaji have stood out through their attire.
“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,” Wintour said. “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. To be fair, Melania Trump also always looks like herself when she dresses.”
Duwaji, married to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, wore a structured black jacket from French label Jacquemus for the publication’s special cover, in which her own illustrations have appeared.
Vogue paired Streep and Wintour for the magazine’s upcoming cover story ahead of “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” which releases in theaters nationwide on May 1. Streep reprised her iconic role of fashion editor Miranda Priestly, who was largely inspired by Wintour.
During the conversation, Wintour and Streep, both 76, also discussed being grandparents, with the actress saying that she finds the experience “divine.”
“I can’t even talk about how much it means to me that my kids give me as much time as they do with their kids,” the Academy Award winner said.
