In November 2023, Ivanka Trump was summonsed to the New York State Supreme Court to testify against her father, Donald Trump, in a civil real estate fraud trial. After futile attempts by lawyers to spare Ivanka from taking the stand, she strolled into court in a shoulder-padded black blazer and matching trousers with black pointy-toed pump, where she proceeded to not recall many of the events she was asked about. While the embattled former president’s daughter opted not to make a loud fashion statement, her outfit raises a question: What do you wear when you’re subpoenaed to testify against your father in one of his many upcoming trials?
It wasn’t the first time the public has wondered—grimly or voyeuristically—what one wears to court, and it certainly wan't the last. Today, the writer E. Jean Carroll was awarded $83.3 million after a jury found Donald Trump liable of defamation for disparaging statements he made in 2019, following claims that he sexually assaulted her. For her final day in court, Carroll stuck to her longtime outfit formula: a black turtleneck paired with a black pleated skirt; a white brocade blazer cinched with a black belt; opaque black stockings; and a cream overcoat. She carried with her a chestnut colored briefcase. On this day of victory, Carroll opted for an eye-catching pair of black and white heeled Oxfords.
The last time she wore this outfit was during her May 2023 trial against the former president, where he was also found liable for sexually assaulting and defaming her.
In the titular essay of The White Album, Joan Didion wrote about going to the now-defunct department store I. Magnin to buy a trial dress for Linda Kasabian, a Charles Manson acolyte who served as a lookout during the murders at Cielo Drive. “Mini but not extremely mini. In velvet if possible. Emerald green or gold. Or: A Mexican peasant-style dress, smocked or embroidered,” Kasabian requested.
The conclusion of the Manson trials didn’t mark the end of the intrigue surrounding high-profile judicial proceedings, and what one wears to them. In 2023, celebrities in the courtroom seem of more interest than ever, between the popularity of Jury Duty—which starred James Marsden as a satirized version of himself—Kim Kardashian doing her civic duty by reporting for her own jury duty, and Gwyneth Paltrow’s highly memed ski trial. But other celebrities have paved the way up to this point.
In the fall of 2002, Winona Ryder appeared in court in a seemingly unassuming dress: a black long-sleeve with a pink and white trompe l’oeil collar and an A-line skirt that fell below the knee from Marc Jacobs’s fall 2001 collection. While the dress would generally be considered a perfectly demure court attire, it became an instant lightening rod for controversy. Ryder was on trial for shoplifting $5,500 of merchandise from Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills—Marc Jacobs clothing among the items stolen. The sheer audacity of the look, however, paid off: In May 2002, Ryder appeared on the cover of W in a “Free Winona” graphic tee, and even starred in Jacobs’s spring 2003 campaign.
Celebrity trials are a way for many to see larger-than-life figures attempt to conduct themselves under pressure, some during the lowest moments of their lives. When famous people publicly contend with the fact that they are not above the law, their sartorial choices can go in a couple directions. Some opt for more modest, neutral clothing that seeks to humanize, making them seem respectful and serious; or they lean into their personae, dressing for the attention that they know they’re already bound to receive.
