Melania Trump stepped out in an eye-catching outfit as she and husband Donald prepare for an historic inauguration in Washington DC on Monday (January 20).

       The former model worse a custom double-breasted navy coat by Adam Lippes and a matching boater hat by Eric Javits, both American designers, for the occasion.

       She also wore black leather gloves and dark suede pumps - coordinating with her husband - as they stepped out for the first time today to attend the service at St John’s church ahead of the swearing-in ceremony later today.

       At Mr Trump’s last inauguration in 2017, Melania paid homage to Jackie Kennedy by wearing a powder blue cashmere dress and cropped jacket by Ralph Lauren.

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       "Mrs. Trump really shocked the world in 2017, at the swearing-in, in that powder blue Ralph Lauren suit that was very evocative of a Jackie Kennedy suit, and seemed to really suggest that she had studied the role of the first lady," Vanessa Friedman, the New York Times' chief fashion critic, told ABC News.

       In opting for a look by a lesser-known designer, Trump could be gesturing at how she intends to employ fashion differently during her tenure at the White House for this second term.

       The Adam Lippes label is just over a decade old.

       "The inauguration is really just a moment of theater, where everybody is watching. So each decision has an impact and contributes to the kind of storytelling of the day," Friedman said.

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       The soon-to-be first lady also turned heads when she appeared in an off-the-shoulder white gown by French-American designer Hervé Pierre at the 2017 inauguration ball, with a dainty red ribbon around her waste a tasteful nod to her husband's party colour.

       "It can be a daunting task, to choose an outfit that will be mesmerised and become part of our nation's story and forever history," she reflected on her wardrobe for the event.

       Mrs Trump, who was the first foreign-born woman to become first lady since Louisa Adams in the 19th century, donated her outfit to the Smithsonian Institution's First Ladies exhibit after the 2017 inauguration, which displays clothing worn by presidents' wives all the way back to Martha Washington and Abigail Adams.