第一夫人的裙子打破了一個復活節傳統

The nudge the first lady gave President Trump, apparently to remind him to put his hand over his heart for the national anthem at the White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday, may have become the tell that went round the world (and then there was that giant bunny on the president’s other side). But her choice of dress was, in many ways, just as revealing.

在白宮週一舉行復活節滾彩蛋活動(Easter Egg Roll)期間，第一夫人輕推了一下特朗普總統，似乎是提醒他在國歌響起時將手放到自己的胸前。這或許成了全世界討論的話題（還有出現在總統另一側的巨大的兔子）。但從很多方面看，她自己的着裝選擇同樣很能說明問題。

A spun-sugar pink midcalf sleeveless layered organza confection by Hervé Pierre, the designer who created Mrs. Trump’s inaugural ball gown, it was made according to her instructions, Mr. Pierre said. And though it looked as classic as an Easter dress could be, it was actually something of a break with tradition, at least from recent administrations.

那是埃爾韋·皮埃爾(Hervé Pierre)設計的一條外飾精美透明硬紗的嫩粉色無袖長裙——特朗普夫人蔘加總統就職舞會時所穿的禮服也是出自這位設計師之手。皮埃爾表示，這條裙子是按照第一夫人的指示製作的。儘管看起來像是一條經典復活節連衣裙的樣子，但它實際上有點打破了傳統，至少打破了最近幾屆政府的傳統。

In what way? You might ask. It looked like a throwback to the days of “Easter Parade.” Well, yes. In exactly that way.

在哪一方面呢？你可能會問。它看起來像回到了舉行“復活節遊行”的時代。嗯，沒錯。就是這麼回事。

Since the Easter Egg Roll was revived under Betty Ford, most of the first ladies who have hosted the event wore suits, or at least jackets, suggesting it was a professional commitment. Hillary Clinton displayed her penchant for rainbow-colored pantsuits when she was host, resplendent one year in buttercup yellow, another in grass green. When the Obamas were in the White House, they significantly relaxed the rules, the president often going without a tie or jacket, and Michelle Obama most often in pants with a J. Crew T-shirt or cardigan and Converse (one Tracy Reese floral dress excepted). The message was one of a new, more relaxed, modern and active era.

自貝蒂·福特(Betty Ford)令復活節滾彩蛋活動在白宮復興以來，主持這一活動的第一夫人大多是穿套裝，或至少是短上衣，以顯示自己是在履行一項專業職責。主持這項活動期間，希拉里·克林頓(Hillary Clinton)展示了她對顏色鮮豔的套裝的偏好，有一年穿着耀眼的乳黃色，另一年是草綠色套裝。當奧巴馬伕婦入主白宮時，他們大大地放寬了規則，這位總統往往不打領帶或不穿外套去參加這項活動，米歇爾·奧巴馬(Michelle Obama)則大多穿長褲搭J. CrewT恤或開襟毛衣，腳穿匡威(Converse)運動鞋（只有穿翠西·瑞斯[Tracy Reese]碎花裙那次例外）。這些着裝傳達出的信息是，這是一個更放鬆、更現代和更具活力的新時代。

But just as the Ralph Lauren suit that Mrs. Trump wore during the inaugural parade called to mind Jackie Kennedy and Camelot, the pink dress called to mind another, more rarefied time. It was for neither work nor play, but rather a Great Gatsby garden party.

但就像特朗普夫人在就職遊行活動上穿的拉夫·勞倫(Ralph Lauren)套裝讓人想起傑奎琳·肯尼迪(Jackie Kennedy)和肯尼迪執政時期，這套粉色的裙子讓人想起了另一個更加虛無縹緲的時代。這裙子既不適合工作，也不適合遊玩，而應該出現在《了不起的蓋茨比》(Great Gatsby)中的花園派對裏。

Indeed, in its unique, made-to-order-ness, it was itself a rarefied garment — Mr. Pierre does not have his own commercial collection, so he will not be reproducing the dress, as he acknowledged — and thus in line with Mr. Trump’s image-making. This is not about outreach or accessibility. It’s about aspirational role-play of a highly telegenic kind.

實際上，這條有着獨特定製風格的裙子，本身就是一件脫離現實的服裝——就像皮埃爾自己承認的，他沒有自己的商業服裝系列，所以不會複製這條裙子——因此符合特朗普的形象塑造。這跟主動接觸和可親無關，而更關乎那種極其上鏡的高大上角色扮演。

(Some online commentary suggested that the color was “millennial pink,” and hence a kind of generational nod, but given that Mr. Pierre identified it as “peony” and said Mrs. Trump had chosen it herself, that seems unlikely.)

（一些網上評論表示，那種顏色是“千禧粉”，因此代表一種代際認可，但考慮到皮埃爾稱它是“芍藥”粉，而且表示是特朗普夫人自己選了這種顏色，情況似乎不太可能是那樣。）

That’s why in so many ways Mrs. Trump’s clothes increasingly seem like costumes for a series titled “In The White House”: a perfect camera-ready version of what one imagines a first lady might wear, from the almost military-inspired suits and coats she has been choosing for various official appearances — the belted white trench coat from The Row she wore at the International Women of Courage Awards; the Dolce & Gabbana jacket she wore for her official portrait; the belted green dress she wore to accompany Queen Raina of Jordan to a Washington charter school — to the more romantic, but minimal, organzas of Mr. Pierre.

這也是爲什麼特朗普夫人的着裝從很多方面講都越發像是來自名爲《白宮之內》(In The White House)的系列節目中的服裝：想象中的第一夫人應該穿的適宜拍照衣着的完美版本，不管是她爲各種正式場合選擇的近乎軍旅風格的套裝和大衣——在國際婦女勇氣獎(International Women of Courage Awards)頒獎禮上穿的The Row白色束帶風衣；拍官方肖像時穿的杜嘉班納(Dolce & Gabbana)短外套；陪約旦皇后拉尼亞(Raina)參觀華盛頓一座特許學校時穿的綠色束帶連衣裙——還是皮埃爾設計的更浪漫但風格極簡的紗裙，都是如此。

They are defining a certain approach to her position that leaves the woman inside a mystery, but makes sense for this particular TV-schooled administration. And it is, nevertheless, absorbing to — well — watch.

它們呈現的是定義她身份的特定方式，這種方式令她本人的面目十分模糊，卻適合這個受過鏡頭訓練的特別的政府。話雖如此，單單看起來，它還是挺引人注目的。