eBay is no stranger to unusual items, but one particular listing recently left a woman completely astonished—it appeared to feature former First Lady Melania Trump’s wedding dress, the same gown she wore when marrying Donald Trump.
The luxurious Christian Dior creation, designed by John Galliano and famously worn by Melania at her Palm Beach wedding in January 2005, was being offered for $45,000—or the best offer—significantly less than its rumored $100,000 original cost.
Fashion writer Liana Satenstein brought attention to the listing through her “Neverworns” Substack newsletter on March 25, noting the striking resemblance to Melania’s iconic couture gown.
According to the seller, the dress had only been worn twice—once by Melania and once by the current owner, who claimed to have bought the gown directly from the former First Lady in 2010 for $70,000 and later wore it at her own wedding.
The intricate gown, which took over 500 hours to create and features an elaborate 13-foot train adorned with hand-stitched Swarovski crystals, has been sitting unsold on eBay since January.
However, doubts about the gown’s authenticity could be a factor in the lack of buyers.
A source told WWD that the real gown never left Melania’s possession and remains safely at Mar-a-Lago. The seller, meanwhile, admitted in the listing that she had made several modifications, including enlarging the dress to fit her size and adding extra embroidery and satin layers to suit her figure.
Melania’s extravagant wedding look, complete with a 16-foot veil, was prominently featured on the cover of Vogue in February 2005. Her wedding to Donald Trump drew A-list guests like Hillary and Bill Clinton, Katie Couric, and Shaquille O’Neal.
Trump had proposed to Melania in 2004 after six years of dating, and the couple welcomed their only child, Barron Trump, in March 2006.
Now 19, Barron has remained largely out of the public eye despite renewed interest following his father’s return to the presidency. Towering at 6’7”, the NYU freshman continues to live a relatively private life, steering clear of the spotlight and public speaking.
