First Lady Melania Trump continued in her all-time favorite holiday tradition, visiting the Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., where she read a Christmas book and playing games with young sick patients.
For the visit, Melania wore a turquoise suede belted wrap trench coat from Diane Von Furstenberg. The trench coat features a notched lapel, self-tie wrap closure with a separate matching belt, slanted pocket at both sides, and leather lambskin lining. It retailed for $2,400 but it is long sold out.
She previously wore this coat in July 2017 when arriving in Warsaw, Poland for the first international trip as First Lady. According to Vogue at this time, “the coat-and-scarf combo, by contrast, appeared to take its cues from ’70s fashion, projecting a polished yet louche quality.”
As for footwear, Melania teamed the turquoise DVF belted wrap trench with a pair of indigo blue watersnake skin pumps from Manolo Blahnik. The BB 110mm pumps feature a pointed toe, watersnake skin composition, and textured style. It retailed for $935 but is on sale for $655 at Farfetch.com.
Want to emulate Melania’s Outfit of the Day, below are similar turquoise trench coat one should definitely add to their closet. Why not complete the full look with a pair of affordable blue snakeskin pumps.
This is the fourth year Melania visiting the hospital, but this year the hospital tweaked the holiday program to safely accommodate the First Lady’s visit during the pandemic.
“With so many holiday events disrupted this year, it is particularly special that the First Lady and her team made this annual holiday visit a priority. Mrs. Trump has our deep gratitude for joining every first lady since Bess Truman in bringing holiday cheer to children who are hospitalized and can’t be home during this special time of the year,” Dr. Kurt Newman, chief executive officer of the hospital said as he introduced the First Lady.
Melania gave brief remarks before reading “Oliver the Ornament Meets Marley & Joan and Abbey” by Todd Zimmerman. The tale is part of the holiday “Oliver the Ornament” series of books, which Melania said she started reading three years ago. The author said he was glad Melania’s visit would help take the children’s minds “off of what they’re going through, if only for an hour.”
“It is wonderful to be here. This is one of my favorite events during the holiday time and I’m very excited and looking forward to reading a book,” Melania said as she sat in front of a towering Christmas tree adorning the hospital’s atrium. “I’m thinking of you all. Stay strong and well and Merry Christmas and happy holidays.”
The two young patients who were present for the reading were 6-years old Riley Whitney and 8-years old Sofia Martinez who also walked in with Melania to the hospital’s main atrium. Both children were seated on the floor over 12-feet away in front of Melania, while the other 325 hospitalized children and their families watched the live-stream of the first lady reading the Christmas book from the safety of their rooms.
She exited to Mariah Carey’s classic famous holiday song, “All I Want for Christmas is You” and headed to Children’s National Seacrest Studios and participated in two rounds of holiday-themed bingo with the children. Melania stood at a podium calling out the Bingo numbers.
The game is played twice a week — Tuesday and Thursday to give the children a mental break from their medical conditions. According to the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Unit at the Children’s Hospital, during the hour “allows the patient to feel a sense of autonomy and control in how they spend their time during their hospital stay since typically, the patients’ schedules are determined for them either by the care team or parent/guardian.”
Following her visit, The First Lady said in a statement: “This is my fourth year visiting Children’s National Hospital during the holiday season and I was excited to be invited back this year to continue this time-honored tradition. This is one of my favorite events of the season and it was a joy to spend the afternoon reading a holiday-inspired story and safely interact with the patients, doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to find a safe way to spread a little Christmas cheer to all of the courageous and brave children at Children’s National. They are all heroes who truly radiate the spirit and meaning of the season.”
The hospital marked 150 years of pediatric care and research this month. Volunteers opened the hospital in 1870 with 12 beds for children displaced after the Civil War. It is ranked No. 1 for newborn care for the fourth straight year and ranked in all specialties evaluated by U.S. News & World Report.
Had a wonderful visit with the courageous children, families & dedicated hospital professionals @ChildrensNatl. It was a pleasure to read an inspiring Christmas story & play a fun game safely w the children. #MerryChristmas pic.twitter.com/kcKgjO5aCq
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) December 16, 2020
dorothy
December 22, 2020Our FLOTUS Melania is the most beautiful and elegant First Lady ever.