Melania Trump Is Nearly Unrecognizable In Pics From Early In Her Relationship With Donald

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The Trumps are two of the world's most recognizable figures in the world, but they haven't always looked how they do now. Melania Trump, in particular, has transformed significantly over the years. Looking back on what the former model looked like in the late '90s, when she first met her future husband, we had to do a double take. 

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In a photo taken of Donald Trump and then-Melania Knauss at the "Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace" premiere in 1999, the latter is sporting a much different look from what we're used to seeing on her now. Her signature brond hair was more firmly in the brown category, while her thin brows (she's definitely a celebrity who looks different with brow makeup) and shimmery silver eyeshadow point to the en-vogue trends of the decade. At the time of the May premiere, Donald and Melania had been dating for around eight months after meeting at a party the year before.

"We met in New York," Melania told Larry King for CNN in 2005. "September 1998. We were both at the same party, and that's how we met." Writing in her memoir "Melania" (via The Palm Beach Post), she recalled, "I saw my friend wave at someone behind me. When I turned around, I noticed a man and an attractive blonde woman approaching us. 'Hi, I'm Donald Trump,' the man said when he reached my table. ... I knew he was a businessman or celebrity, but not much else. He put his hand out to shake mine." The FLOTUS added that she didn't think Donald was seriously interested in her because he was already with "a beautiful date," but she did call the meeting "a brief encounter that left a lasting impression." 

Photos from the late '90s, which brought the end of a prominent decade culture-wise but the start of a long-term relationship for Donald and Melania Trump, show that Melania was all over trending fashion and beauty. From the perfect slip-style dress that nailed the '90s minimalist aesthetic to the frosted eyeshadow (a '90s trend we hope makes a comeback) and the mini shoulder bag, the future first lady was certainly stylish at the time. Her grasp of it-girl trends may have been one of the reasons that Donald first spotted her at the New York Fashion Week party at the Kit Kat Klub.

During the 2005 interview with Larry King, the future POTUS revealed that Melania was so alluring that night that she was even more attractive to him than a supermodel. "I went crazy. I was actually supposed to meet somebody else. There was this great supermodel sitting next to Melania and I was supposed to meet this supermodel. ... I said, 'Forget about her! Who's the one on the left?' And it was Melania." More than a decade later, the FLOTUS told Harper's Bazaar that she didn't give him her number that night because he already had a date, even though he was clearly impressed. She got his instead and called him a few days later. "I was struck by his energy. He has an amazing sense of vitality," she told the outlet.

Despite their strong start, Donald and Melania broke up in 2000. ”Melania is an amazing woman, a terrific woman, a great woman,” the POTUS told The New York Times that January. "And she will be missed.” However, their hiatus only lasted a few months. They were soon back together, and engaged by 2004.