This week, first lady Melania Trump<\/a> hosted the inaugural Fostering the Future Together Global Coalition Summit, gathering delegates and first spouses from 45 nations in Washington, DC. Though the event\u2019s intended focus was bettering access to education and technology for children worldwide, two scenes from the two-day meeting have jostled for the public\u2019s attention: the FLOTUS\u2019s dramatic entrance with a humanoid robot<\/a>, and the eye-popping tableaux of handbags owned by the partners of world leaders.<\/p>\n The first-spouse handbag table, photographed by political influencer Link Lauren, was a summit in its own right. There was representation from both Karl Lagerfeld- and Matthieu Blazy-era<\/a> Chanel: a new Chanel 25<\/a> in black grained calfskin; a quilted flap bag in cream-colored lambskin; and a small lambskin shopper. There were at least three Herm\u00e8s bags, too, including a black Niloticus lizard Birkin<\/a> 20 (belonging to Ecuador\u2019s Lavinia Valbonesi), another Birkin, and a Kelly handbag.<\/p>\n Photo: Courtesy of Link Lauren<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n Also on the table: a plum-colored Gancini chain mini bag from Ferragamo (owned by Panama\u2019s Maricel de Mulino) and a Saint Laurent Sac de Jour tote in burgundy croc, with a yellow and cream printed scarf around its handle. More affordable models included a (now sold-out) Brandon Blackwood Kendrick trunk bag in baby blue croc-embossed suede and a pink Michael Kors bag (now on sale). France\u2019s Brigitte Macron, for her part, brought along a Lady Dior Voyageur wallet.<\/p>\n If the display seemed a little extravagant, consider that designer handbags have long had a place in the first lady\u2019s wardrobe. Judith Leiber\u2019s crystal-studded minaudi\u00e8res were in regular rotation among the likes of Mamie Eisenhower, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton, and Laura Bush over the years\u2014many of them now part of the collection at the Smithsonian Institution\u2014and Jackie Kennedy loved her Gucci G1244 so much that the Italian house renamed it in her honor in the \u201970s.<\/p>\n In fact, that hobo-style bag (which Kennedy was often photographed using to shield herself from paparazzi) ushered in a new era of softer and much more versatile handbags for women everywhere. Other go-tos for Kennedy included the Herm\u00e8s Trim, Chanel\u2019s iconic Chanel 2.55 (to go with her tweed suits), and various Valentino bags. Michelle Obama<\/a>, on the other hand, favored a high-low mix, carrying the Givenchy Horizon bag one day and a top-handle purse from Zac Zac Posen<\/a> the next.<\/p>\n Melania Trump has taken to wearing more American designers<\/a> during her husband\u2019s second term, including Wes Gordon, Adam Lippes, Ralph Lauren (for her White House portrait<\/a>), and Thom Browne (for the Fourth of July celebrations<\/a> last year). Still, she\u2019s retained a penchant for Europe\u2019s luxury accessories, from Dior to Dolce & Gabbana and Herm\u00e8s. (Trump was, probably, the first FLOTUS to cross the White House threshold toting a Birkin.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Melania](\"https:\/\/assets.vogue.com\/photos\/69c6b14429e3b19162d40973\/master\/w_1600%2Cc_limit\/HEVjP-vbcAASReT%2520(1).jpeg\"\/)
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