{"id":650472,"date":"2026-08-22T09:15:30","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T09:15:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/650472\/"},"modified":"2026-08-22T09:15:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T09:15:30","slug":"marla-maples-opens-up-about-meeting-trump-fashion-and-living-without-regrets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/650472\/","title":{"rendered":"Marla Maples Opens up About Meeting Trump, Fashion and Living Without Regrets"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tWith U.S. President Donald Trump<\/a> continuing to dominate much of the global news coverage, members of his extended family are constantly in the spotlight \u2014 and his second wife Marla Maples is no exception.<\/p>\n

Despite having only been married to Trump between 1993 and 1999, the Georgia-born former model and actress is perennially linked to him. Nearing the end of a weeks-long European trip with their daughter Tiffany earlier this week, Maples spoke with WWD about her current ventures, her prioritization of family life and her ex-husband.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe most important thing is to always maintain a friendship if your marriage doesn\u2019t work. You really want to do whatever it takes\u2026especially when there are children. It\u2019s so important for health and healing, not just for ourselves but also for our children and other generations,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

A self-described \u201ctreehugger\u201d and wellness advocate, she devotes much of her time to the Marla Maples Foundation and the Global Wellness Forum, which she cofounded. On Friday evening, Maples will cohost a shopping event at Alice + Olivia\u2019s store in Southampton, N.Y., with some of the proceeds benefiting the Global Wellness Forum. On Saturday, the 62-year-old will participate in \u201cA Day of Wellness & Meaningful Conversations\u201d in Montauk.<\/p>\n

Maples has spent the past few weeks in the U.K., Italy and Spain vacationing with Tiffany, her husband Michael Boulos and their 15-month-old son Alexander. She also entertained future business prospects, taking a meeting with with wellness technology company L-Nutra and others about environmentalism legislative proposals.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile many are diving into the $6.8 trillion global wellness market, Maples first started \u201cdigging into food as medicine\u201d as a teenager trying to clear up skin issues. A trial-by-error elimination diet led her to ditch milk and pasteurized dairy products. More recently, Maples has publicly supported the Trump administration\u2019s \u201cMake America Healthy Again\u201d initiative, which is led by U.S. Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is a friend of hers.<\/p>\n

Her mother played basketball growing up, as did her father, Stanley, who had an athletic and music\u00a0scholarship to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.\u00a0Ann Maples started modeling in her 50s, due to the increased interest in wellness and fitness among her contemporaries. Maples said her mother appeared on a Ladies Home Journal cover and \u201csometimes they would shoot her at resorts, being the lovely lady having coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maples added,\u00a0\u201cEven my former husband used to say that she was the most beautiful woman in the world. He would say, \u2018If it weren\u2019t for you, I would have married her.’\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tPageants Versus Sports\t<\/p>\n

\n\tBeauty pageants were not something that Maples enjoyed, despite having been a former Miss Georgia runner-up, she said. \u201cI just got talked into it because I was young. To be honest, I was more interested in fitness and sports, especially basketball,\u201d she said. \u201cWe even made it to the state championships two years in high school.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tMarla Maples<\/p>\n

\n\tBut pageants \u201cwere good\u201d to Maples on other levels. Competing in pageants allowed her to put aside a little money for her studies. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cGirls need to be cautious about remembering who they are. I always say to not get too caught up with the physical. And always watch who is around you to make sure that you are protected and guided properly,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"NEW<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tMichael Boulos, Tiffany Trump and Marla Maples attend the Taoray Wang fashion show on Feb. 9, 2019, in New York City.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty Images for Taoray Wang<\/p>\n

\n\tAs for whether Maples offers her daughter advice about the media\u2019s glare, Maples said, \u201cShe\u2019s a very wise girl on her own. I\u2019ve always raised her with a lot of unconditional love, beautiful friendships and nice communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMaples was 20, while Trump was 38, when they met in the mid-1980s. \u201cWe weren\u2019t in a relationship then, but we met very young. I probably don\u2019t want to go so much into the details,\u201d Maples said. \u201cWe just kept running into each other. I think five times \u2014 a charity event, a tennis match, someone, who I knew, who was doing business with him\u2026.It was just one of those things. Then we saw each other walking down Madison Avenue. He said, \u2018I know you.\u2019 And I said, \u2018Yes, you do Mr. Trump.\u2019 Sometimes, destiny, you just can\u2019t run from.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Donald<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tDonald Trump<\/a> and Marla Maples Wedding<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCorbis\/VCG via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\n\tTrump and his first wife Ivana divorced in 1992<\/a>. She and Maples famously crossed paths and clashed in December of 1989, during a Trump family vacation at an Aspen ski resort. That showdown and the subsequent divorce proceedings and Ivana\u2019s reported $14 million settlement \u2014 which would be worth $33.2 million today \u2014 sparked a tabloid feeding frenzy. In October 1993, Trump\u2019s and Maples\u2019 daughter Tiffany was born, and the couple wed two months later at The Plaza hotel with 1,000 guests.<\/p>\n

Citing \u201cthe challenges that you go through, especially with the media, the relationship evolves and there\u2019s a lot of ups and downs. And you find your way back around. I think again it\u2019s so important that you can surround yourself with people, who you can trust and who can help you through tough times,\u201d Maples said.<\/p>\n

She recalled the \u201cvery emotional time\u201d that she and Trump experienced after three friends were killed in a helicopter crash. In 1989, executives from Trump\u2019s Atlantc City, N.J., casino \u2014 Stephen Hyde, Mark Grossinger Etess and Jonathan Benana \u2014 lost their lives. Maples said, \u201cWe all go through tragedies in life. You learn that you have to live every second the best that you can.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"(L-R)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tMarla Maples, Donald Trump and Roshumba Williams attend second annual \u201cDISHES Pediatric AIDS Benefit\u201d on August 10, 1996 at Atlantic Beach in Amagansett, New York.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRon Galella Collection via Getty<\/p>\n

\n\tAll in all, Maples said she doesn\u2019t look at life as regretful. \u201cYears ago, one of my pastors used to talk about turning your obstacles into arrows. Whatever the challenge is, they are all stepping stones to walk on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tDesigner Favorites\t<\/p>\n

\n\tAlthough Maples favors Alice + Olivia suits for speaking engagements such as a recent one at the Milken Institute and has met the label\u2019s founder Stacey Bendet, she said Donald Trump Jr.\u2019s second wife Bettina<\/a> is friendlier with the fashion founder.<\/p>\n

\n\tHaving been friendly with Vera Wang, Carolina Herrera and other top designers \u201cback in the day,\u201d Maples said, \u201cThey were very kind to dress me. Remember, I was from a small town and suddenly I was in this world, where I had to do my very best to fit in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her current favorites include Brunello Cucinelli<\/a>, Ralph Lauren, Valentino and Gabriela Hearst<\/a>. Maples also singled out Elie Saab, who designed her daughter\u2019s wedding gown,<\/a> as well as a one-shoulder lavender gown that Maples wore that day. Planning to catch up on all of the fall trends in the next few weeks, Maples said she may attend Zang Toi\u2019s New York Fashion Week show. \u201cComfort is so key to me especially at this point in my life. I don\u2019t want to dress for what everybody else expects. I want to wear something comfortable and stylish. I\u2019m so focused on wellness, spirituality and being a grandmother,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"NEW<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tMarla Maples attends Taoray Wang fashion show during New York Fashion Week at Spring Studios on Sept. 11, 2019, in New York City.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty Images for Taoray Taoray<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cMy daughter is much more into fashion than I am. I am a bit more sporty, tailored and just easy. I\u2019m not a big fan of flowery patterns,\u201d she said. \u201cI just love something that accentuates your gifts without making people look at your dress more than you. I want people to make eye contact with me, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Marla<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tMarla Maples<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGilbert Flores<\/p>\n

\n\tVeronica Beard<\/a>, Zimmermann, Reformation<\/a> and Revolve<\/a> are other favorite resources for Maples. As for President Trump\u2019s style, Maples said, \u201cIt hasn\u2019t changed too much, has it? He\u2019s always been focused on power and standing in strength. That\u2019s why there\u2019s the blue suit, which used to be Brioni, when we were married. And the red tie was a sign of power.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tWellness Tips\t<\/p>\n

\n\tPilates, weight training, naturing, racquet sports,<\/a> morning sunlit meditations and breath work are part of her regime.\u00a0As for wellness and beauty edicts, she said, \u201cSmile is the most important thing with wellness and beauty. You have to start off on the inside. When you walk in a room with joy and you carry that presence, it automatically makes you look younger,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s an energy field and vibrancy that people pick up on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Marla<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tThe environmentalist said she starts her day with meditation in the sunlight.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhoto Courtesy<\/p>\n

\n\tLiving in the present allows Maples \u201cto know\u201d that she is \u201cable to be in control. That\u2019s something that people lose sight of. When you can live in the moment, you just glow with light. It\u2019s much better,\u201d she said. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean I don\u2019t work hard or have goals. I want to raise money for the two foundations to help people. I get calls everyday from people, who I wish I could help. I\u2019m really praying about that.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With U.S. President Donald Trump continuing to dominate much of the global news coverage, members of his extended…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":650473,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[268],"tags":[229705,434,41850,356,18,117,216769,121794,19,17,274867,274868,107966,274869],"class_list":["post-650472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-brunello-cucinelli","tag-celebrities","tag-chanel","tag-donald-trump","tag-eire","tag-entertainment","tag-gabriela-hearst","tag-hermu00e8s","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-reformation","tag-revolve","tag-schiaparelli","tag-veronica-beard"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/117138406329676300","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/650472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=650472"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/650472\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/650473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=650472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=650472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=650472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}