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July 14 (UPI) -- Melania Trump had French history in mind when she wore a floral dress Friday in Paris. The 47-year-old American first lady paid tribute to the Liberation of Paris while celebrating Bastille Day with her husband, President Donald Trump, French president Emmanuel Macron and French first lady Brigitte Macron at a parade.
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Trump's stylist Hervé Pierre said the dress' floral pattern was meant "to be reminiscent of the flowers -- the carnations, poppies and wheat" that people carried along the Champs-Élysées in May 1945 while celebrating the Liberation of Paris after WWII, according to WWD.
"It is so chic," Pierre said of the jacquard Valentino dress. "When I saw it, I said, 'That's the dress.'"
"There is something Parisienne about it even if it is from a European house. I mean, I love Valentino, period," he added of the Italian fashion house. "The fabric is exquisite. There is also something almost patriotic about it."
Trump wore a red suit from French designer Christian Dior for her arrival in Paris the day previous. She later paid tribute to the American and French flags by wearing a red, white and blue dress for a dinner with the Macrons at the Eiffel Tower.
Pierre, who designed the dress, said the dress' appliqués were meant to resemble wheat, which he called the "favorite flower" of French designer Yves Saint Laurent. The New York Times reported designer Coco Chanel also "regularly used" wheat iconography.
Trump made headlines in May for wearing a $51,000 Dolce & Gabbana coat during a trip to Sicily, Italy. Dolce & Gabbana co-founder Stephano Gabbana is among the designers who have publicly voiced their support for Trump.
