Why Melania and Ivanka Trump wore black to meet the Pope

ALETEIA
By Joanne McPortland

The Godfather’s funeral? An Addams Family remake? No, just diplomatic protocol.

We live in a world where few social conventions are firmly upheld. Nobody takes the request to RSVP seriously. Every day is casual Friday. When was the last time you worried about the proper placement of utensils or glassware for a dinner party? But we’re so unfamiliar with the very notion of conventions that when they do show up in our lives – as with yesterday’s social media blitz featuring the Trump family’s visit to the Vatican – we are startled and confused. Here’s the unfunny, unviral truth. The Ladies Trump were simply complying with a detailed and time-honored Vatican protocol for women in formal diplomatic circumstances. [More]

That protocol requires:

• Formal black clothing, with the knees, upper arms, back, and decollete covered.
• Black close-toed shoes with low or moderate heels.
• A black head covering, usually interpreted as a black lace mantilla (veil) like the one Melania Trump wore (Ivanka’s headpiece was a bit more fashion-forward, but dignified).