The Busty Ivanka Trump Outfit That Channeled Her Mom Ivana

Ivanka Trump's striking style transformation has included some looks reminiscent of the glitzy, glamorous apparel her mother was known for. Even in early 2025, she was still stepping out in ensembles that wouldn't have looked out of place in Ivana's Trump Tower closet. It was a sartorial seed that Ivana inadvertently planted when Ivanka was a little girl. "I can remember sitting on her dressing room floor before she went out," Ivanka recalled to Romy & the Bunnies. "I was always playing with her jewelry and shoes and she was made up to the nines."

When Ivana died in 2022, many probably remembered her best as a tabloid darling and former model who was the living embodiment of the 1980s' "Dynasty" dazzle. However, she also served as the Trump Organization's executive vice president and CEO of Trump's Castle casino in Atlantic City when she was married to Donald Trump. She dressed like she belonged among the glittering lights of the gambling establishment, according to Arnold Scaasi, a designer whose work graced the figures of a few first ladies. "It's interesting that Ivana's taste has gotten showier over the last couple of years. More and more, she uses the same Atlantic City designers who outfit the show girls and entertainers," he told Vanity Fair in 1988.

The dress Ivanka modeled in a March 2025 Instagram post fit the 1980s Atlantic aesthetic perfected by her mom, and its cleavage-baring, criss-cross neckline and silver sequins were both style elements Ivana included in the similarly busty gown she wore to the 2011 amfAR's Cinema Against AIDS Gala. However, Ivanka's dress was not a throwback from Ivana's fashion archives; it was a far more modern design once rocked by a Hollywood A-lister on a popular TV series.

Ivanka Trump's dress was a design by Peter Pilotto for his Fall 2012 collection. That same year, Serena van der Woodsen wore it on "Gossip Girl." It's entirely possible that Ivanka fell in love with the look after seeing Blake Lively wear it on the show, as she had named the actor as one of her style influences mere weeks before the episode featuring the dress aired. "I also love how Blake Lively carries off serious clothing in an effortless and playful way," she told The Wall Street Journal in November 2012.

As for why Ivanka's wardrobe doesn't include more references to her mother, it might be because some of Ivana Trump's style preferences are a pain to pull off. Due to a toe injury, Ivanka had to wear an orthopedic boot and a ballet flat with the Peter Pilotto dress. If Ivana had been in her shoes, it's easy to imagine her suffering for the sake of pairing some fab footwear with it. "She used to say, 'There's nothing that I can't do better in heels,'" Ivana revealed on the "Lex Fridman Podcast." Ivanka even thinks it's possible that her mom wore high heels on construction sites. "I have this visual in my mind of her walking on rebar on the balls of her feet in these four-inch heels," she said.

One of the leggy looks Ivanka has caused a stir by wearing is a beaded Bob Mackie minidress that once belonged to her mom. For her, it's one of the pieces Ivana's "pain for beauty" mantra applies to. "I got a workout walking to the elevator. Like this is a heavy dress," she said. "And you know what? It was worth it."