Ivanka Trump dazzles in gold for dinner at the palace in Morocco
Golden girl! Ivanka Trump dazzles in an ornate gown as she joins Princess Lalla Meryem of Morocco for dinner at the royal palace in Rabat – after modeling TWO other outfits earlier in the day
- Ivanka, 38, touched down in Rabat on Wednesday after an overnight flight, and was greeted at the airport by the princess, who then took her for tea
- On Thursday morning, she enjoyed a tour of a local olive grove collective in the province of Sidi Kacem, where she was seen hugging female farmer Aicha Bourkib
- She was dressed in a monochrome look for the outing, which also saw her touring around a medina
- However she later changed into a silk dress and an embellished cape to meet the country’s prime minister, Saadeddine el-Othmani, and the foreign minister, Nasser Bourita
- On Thursday night, she was a guest at the royal palace in Rabat, where the princess hosted a dinner for the first daughter and her travel companion, Sean Cairncross, CEO of Millennium Challenge Corporation
- The mother-of-three was wearing a long gold caftan-style gown that is thought to have been created by local designer Fadila El Gadi, who has created all of her looks during the trip
Ivanka Trump was the belle of the ball on Thursday night, when she attended a dinner at the royal palace in Rabat alongside her host, Princess Lalla Meryem of Morocco.
The first daughter looked radiant as she arrived at the royal residence in a floor-length gold caftan-style gown that is thought to have been created by local designer Fadila El Gadi, who has created all of Ivanka’s looks during the trip.
Mother-of-three Ivanka looked right at home in her ornate surroundings in the dazzling design – her third outfit of the day – which she paired with some simple nude heels, ensuring all focus remained on the beaded dress.
Shine bright like a diamond! Ivanka Trump put on an incredibly chic show on Thursday night in an ornate gold gown as she attended a dinner at the royal palace in Rabat alongside Princess Lalla Meryem of Morocco
Matchy matchy: The 38-year-old’s dress was almost identical in silhouette to the design worn by the princess, with both women opting for caftan-style floor-length gowns
Close pals: The ladies seemed to be in great spirits as they chatted away during dinner, having already enjoyed afternoon tea together earlier in the week
The long gown featured piping along the neckline and down the front, and it had a built-in belt to cinch Ivanka’s waist in and show off her natural curves.
To complete the look, the White House advisor had her short blonde locks pulled back into a voluminous updo, and she added a pair of large pearl earrings as a final touch of sparkle.
It seems Ivanka certainly got the memo as far as the evening’s dress code, because her ornate gown was almost identical in silhouette to the stunning dress worn by the princess, who opted for a deep blue, pink, and gold design.
Both women were pictured beaming happily as they made their way into their dinner, having apparently bonded during their first meeting on Wednesday, when Princess Meryem met Ivanka at the airport, before they enjoyed afternoon tea together.
Since then, Ivanka has had an incredibly busy schedule, visiting a number of different local areas, while showing off an impressive array of wardrobe options in the process.
Indeed, Ivanka seemed eager to turn Morocco into her own personal catwalk earlier in the day as she toured a local olive grove collective, before meeting the country’s prime minister.
The 38-year-old started her day off in a simple but chic black-and-white outfit, before later changing things up – and letting her hair down – ahead of her meeting with Prime Minister Saadeddine el-Othmani and Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita.
For her later engagements in the day, the first daughter went with a slightly edgier look, donning a chic dark green silk midi dress that fell just above her bare ankles, and allowed her to show off her demure nude heels.
She then injected some edge into the look with a funky patterned cape that she wore over the long-sleeved dress.
The fashion piece, which looks as though it may have been created by a local designer, featured gold and teal patterns across its beige fabric, while the upper and lower thirds of the design were covered in black cross shapes.
Clearly eager to embrace a more glamorous style for her evening out, Ivanka let her short blonde hair down from the updo she had modeled earlier in the day, and she appeared to have added some more makeup to her glamorous look.
She’s got options: Ivanka wore two other outfits on Thursday afternoon, wearing on a funky patterned cape for a meeting with the Moroccan Foreign Minister, after touring local olive groves with a group of female farmers
Back to basics: The first daughter traded her simple black flats for a pair of nude heels, and swapped her black-and-white outfit for something more colorful and fun – an embroidered cape and a green dress
Travel pal: Sean Cairncross, CEO of Millennium Challenge Corporation, an organization that provides grants to developing countries to help economic growth, joined Ivanka as she met Morocco’s Prime Minister Saadeddine el-Othmani (center)
Going for gold: The beige cape had gold and teal detailing across the design, as well as black crosses that appear to have been stitched on
Earlier in the day, Ivanka shared a touching moment with a female farmer during a tour of an olive grove collective in the province of Sidi Kacem.
The first daughter was warmly embraced and kissed by local olive farmer Aicha Bourkib as she arrived at the groves, before being taken on a guided tour of the farmlands, and met four women – including Bourkib – whose lives have been transformed thanks to ongoing legal changes that could allow them to inherit land.
Bourkib couldn’t hold back her emotion as she met Ivanka, 38, whom she kissed on the hands, before pulling her into a tight hug. The pair then held hands as the White House advisor was led around the groves, with a guide explaining the work that the women do.
Getting to know you: The 38-year-old was again joined on the tour by Cairncross
New friend: Ivanka formed a particularly close bond with one of the female olive farmers, Aicha Bourkib, a 59-year-old mother-of-four who greeted the first daughter with a warm hug
Embrace: Bourkib kissed Ivanka’s hands, before the pair embraced
Close bond: Ivanka met with four women, including Bourkib (left), whose lives have been transformed by ongoing legal changes that could allow them to inherit land
Chic: The mother-of-three wore a black-and-white ensemble for the trip, pairing a belted embroidered jacket with a black turtleneck, while her hair was pulled back from her face
59-year-old housewife Bourkib, who is also a mother-of-four, revealed that she has planted olive trees and vegetables on land she recently bought; she also has two cows and wants to create a dairy cooperative in her village.
The mom-of-four seemed to form an instant bond with Ivanka, who looked incredible chic in a black-and-white ensemble that included an embroidered jacket, tight black pants, a black turtleneck, and a pair of sensible flat black shoes.
She finished off the look with some funky orb-shaped earrings, and had her short blonde hair pulled back from her face to show off her glamorous makeup look of the day.
As well as Bourkib’s warm embrace, Ivanka and her group were also met by a band of female musicians who beat drums and sung, while the first daughter danced along to the beat.
Ivanka, who arrived in Morocco on Wednesday, was joined on the tour by her trip companion Sean Cairncross, the CEO of Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), an independent US foreign aid agency that provides grants to developing countries to help promote economic growth, reduce poverty and strengthen institutions.
Special tour: Ivanka beamed happily as she spoke to Bourkib, who has four children, about the work that she does on the land
And they’re off: Bourkib led the first daughter by the hand as they walked around the land that she bought after legal changes in Morocco enabled women to own land
Information: At points during the tour, Ivanka looked somber, no doubt having learned more about the plight that many women faced before being able to buy land
Celebration! The group was met with a band of female musicians as they arrived at the farm collective
A strong beat! Ivanka was seen dancing briefly to the music before preparing to take a tour of the olive groves
The pair were led around the olive groves, where Bourkib and her fellow farmers have turned the land into a profitable business to help support themselves and their families.
After their tour, the pair met with a larger group of female farmers, with Ivanka addressing the women during a special ceremony, speaking to them about her female-focused empowerment initiatives, and learning how their lives have been and will continue to be changed by gaining the ability to buy, own, and inherit land.
‘Today I am traveling to the rural Gharb region of Morocco to meet with women beneficiaries that will be impacted by implementation of recent land titling reforms,’ Ivanka wrote on Twitter ahead of her day trip.
‘Women’s ability to own and manage property is critical to gender equality and economic empowerment.’
Ivanka and Cairncross had the opportunity to take a guided tour of Rabat’s old city, and they enjoyed a stroll through a medina in Sidi Kacem, before going to the olive groves.
The duo also sat down to lunch in Rabat with female business leaders – and Ivanka was pictured reaching across Cairncross to high five one of the women during the meal.
Party! After the tour of the olive groves, Ivanka met with more female farmers and business leaders
Crucial: ‘Today I am traveling to the rural Gharb region of Morocco to meet with women beneficiaries that will be impacted by implementation of recent land titling reforms,’ she added
Shopping? Ivanka and Cairncross strolled through a medina near to the olive grove collective
History: The duo were also given a guided tour of Rabat’s old city, before traveling to the olive grove collective
As well as Rabat, Ivanka and Cairncross are also due to visit Casablanca during the quick trip, during which they will meet with government officials and senior women business leaders to discuss the Trump administration’s Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative.
They are due to return to D.C. on November 8.
The visit to Morocco is the third overseas trip that Ivanka has taken this year to promote the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative, which was launched in February to benefit women in developing countries.
In a statement to AP, Ivanka said the kingdom of Morocco is a valued US ally that has ‘taken strides’ under King Mohammed VI to promote gender equality.
Back in August, she tweeted her support to the Moroccan government after it began the process of amending its inheritance laws, which currently say women should receive half as much as men.
The Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative has a goal of helping 50 million women in developing nations advance economically over the next six years.
It is a US government-wide effort that involves the State Department, the National Security Council and other agencies. It aims to coordinate existing programs and develop new ones to help women in areas such as job training, financial support and legal or regulatory reforms.
Ivanka traveled to Ethiopia and Ivory Coast, in sub-Saharan Africa, in April and to Argentina, Colombia and Paraguay in September to promote the initiative.
The first daughter kicked off her trip to Morocco in royal fashion, sitting down to enjoy tea with Princess Lalla Meryem, who greeted the first daughter off the plane as she landed in Rabat.
The first daughter looked fresh-faced and relaxed, despite a long overnight flight from Washington, D.C. – during which she even managed an outfit change.
She stepped onto the tarmac to meet the princess wearing a chic gray embroidered suit jacket by local designer Fadila El Gadi with coordinating pants and a pair of matching high heels, having left chilly D.C. in a long burgundy and tan trench coat, and a dark turtleneck.
Ivanka was pictured walking through Dulles airport on Tuesday evening looking chic in a $2,380 trench coat from Gabriela Hearst, while wheeling her own suitcase behind her on her way to board her commercial flight.
Welcome! Ivanka was greeted by Princess Meryem as she landed in Rabat on Wednesday morning
Tradition: Ivanka and Princess Meryem were presented with milk and dates upon their arrival. The dishes are traditionally served as a welcome snack, and are often offered at celebratory events, including weddings
In-depth: It is likely that Ivanka took the chance to discuss her Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative, which she will be promoting throughout her three-day trip
Clearly thrilled with the warmer weather in Rabat, Ivanka beamed happily as she stepped out of a black car that appears to have transported her from the plane to the terminal, where Princess Meryem was waiting to meet her.
After a warm welcome at the airport, Ivanka was taken to enjoy a traditional Moroccan tea.
Both she and Princess Meryem were presented with milk and dates, which are often served in the country as a welcome snack, as well as at celebrations and parties.
They then sat down to enjoy tea together – during which Ivanka no doubt took the opportunity to discuss her global women’s empowerment program, the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative, which she will be promoting throughout her visit to the country.
Images show the two women chatting happily together while sitting in front of a lavish spread that included traditional Moroccan mint tea, and small silver trays of tasty treats.
Princess Meryem looked incredibly chic in an orange trouser suit, which she paired with a bright red blouse and a pair of simple black heels.
Source: Read Full Article