S Poddar
As Melania Trump releases her memoir on October 1, her book cover has become the focus. The reaction is much to do with the uncanny resemblance it bears to the cover of Chanel Catwalk, a noted fashion book by French author Patrick Mauries.
The cover of Trump’s memoir, called Melania, shows white text on a plain black background in close resemblance to how the design of Chanel Catwalk has been emulated. In fact, from the font choice to layout, these are features the Daily Beast says it emulates closely from a book that came out in 2020. Chanel Catwalk was published by Thames & Hudson and featured every collection from the late Karl Lagerfeld, so its design is pretty iconic within fashion circles.
This isn’t the first time Melania Trump has been accused of cribbing from others. In 2016, a portion of her address to the Republican National Convention was accused of being lifted from Michelle Obama’s Democratic National Convention speech; now, critics say the cover of her forthcoming memoir bears a suspicious resemblance to a fashion coffee table book.
In a sneak peek on X, formerly known as Twitter, Trump said in a video on August 25, “Our lives are shaped by our experiences, challenges, and achievements. For the first time, I share my journey with you-in my new memoir, Melania”. Her office describes the book as “a powerful and inspiring story of a woman who has carved her own path, overcome adversity, and defined personal excellence.”
But the monochrome cover has generated some grumblings. Journalist Victoria Brownworth said, “Imagine that the lady who was furious she didn’t get a Vogue cover as First Lady has a memoir with no photo of her on the cover like in every other memoir in history.” She added, “It’s a low-budget right-wing publisher, but still—couldn’t Trump have sprung for a photo cover for his 3rd wife?”
Others have now joined the conversation on social media. One joked, “If you were wondering who Melania’s book was going to copy from, here you go. She’s decided to rip-off Chanel.” Another added, “Did Melania copy a Chanel book cover for her ‘Melania’ memoir? I don’t care really, but it’s fun to point out. Melania had no problem plagiarizing Michelle Obama’s speech, so stealing a book cover isn’t a big reach.”
Skyhorse Publishing is behind the release of the memoir, a company that has also published works by onetime Trump allies ex-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and lawyer Alan Dershowitz. The publisher has also worked with independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who just bowed out of the 2024 White House race, and former Trump fixer Michael Cohen.
Though a first-time memoirist, Melania Trump has been the subject of books such as Melania and Me, by her one-time adviser, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff. Wolkoff related her time with Trump, including quotes from Trump: “Pleasing anyone else is not my priority.” Wolkoff said that Trump was a pragmatist-“Ever the pragmatist, she reasoned that since she had no control over people’s thoughts, why should she care what they believed?
July’s announcement of the memoir said it would be “an intimate portrait of a woman who has lived an extraordinary life.” Among the list of boldface endorsements for the memoir are such big names as former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley ;.
On her website, Trump sells a collector’s version for $150.00, a signed version for $75.00, and a regular version for $40.00. It is available on Amazon.com for $30.
