Anna Wintour subtly shaded Melania Trump's fashion sense by lauding Michelle Obama's style

• Anna Wintour refused to talk about first lady Melania Trump's fashion sense during a talk on Friday's episode of "The Economist Asks" podcast.
• She pivoted to talking about former first lady Michelle Obama, saying she's "the example that I admire."
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Anna Wintour has nothing to say about Melania Trump's sense of style.

During a talk on Friday's episode of "The Economist Asks" podcast, the Vogue editor-in-chief was asked what she thought about the first lady's outfits during her recent trip to the UK.

Wintour refused to answer the question and instead pivoted to lauding former first lady Michelle Obama.

"Well, I think first lady Michelle Obama really was so incredible in every decision she made about fashion," Wintour said. "She supported young American designers. She supported designers, indeed, from all over the world. She was the best ambassador this country could possibly have — in many ways, obviously, way beyond fashion."

"But she's not the first lady now," interviewer Anne McElvoy replied. "So what about the one you've got now?"

"To me, [Obama] is the example that I admire," Wintour said.

Wintour's refusal to address Trump's style is perhaps not surprising considering she is a major Democratic party donor. She organized fundraisers for both of Barack Obama's presidential campaigns, and is currently donating to the campaigns of Democratic contenders Pete Buttigieg, Beto O'Rourke, Kamala Harris, and Kirsten Gillibrand, TMZ reported.

Read more:Anna Wintour says her dream Met Gala guests would be Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton, and that the only rule of the fashion event is that attendees not take selfies

Michelle Obama graced the cover of Vogue three times while her husband was in office — in March 2009, April 2013, and December 2016.

In April, Trump's then spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham told Fox News that the first lady isn't interested in another Vogue cover.

"To be on the cover of Vogue doesn't define Mrs. Trump; she's been there, done that long before she was first lady," Grisham said. "Her role as first lady of the United States and all that she does is much more important than some superficial photo shoot and cover."

Trump was on the cover of Vogue in February 2005 after she married Donald Trump.

• Read more:
• 33 photos show how Melania Trump has evolved as first lady
• Trump said 'we have our own Jackie O today, it's called Melania'
• Melania Trump's wardrobe for her trip to the UK included an $8,340 gown by Meghan Markle's wedding dress designer
• Melania Trump wore more than $12,000 worth of dresses in 48 hours during her Japan trip

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