
All eyes were on First Lady Melania Trump on Tuesday night as she stole the show in a glittering Chanel gown for their first White House state dinner.

Mrs Trump wore a Chanel black Chantilly lace haute couture gown that had been hand-painted with silver and embroidered with crystal and sequins, which she paired with a pair of gunmetal stilettos.

France's First Lady Brigitte Macron opted for a Louis Vuitton cream full-length gown with long sleeves and gold brocade detail.

The US First Lady clearly embraced her moment in the spotlight during the French president's state visit.

All eyes were on First Lady Melania Trump on Tuesday night as she stole the show in a glittering Chanel gown for their first White House state dinner

Melania upstaged France's First Lady Brigitte Macron who opted for a Louis Vuitton cream full-length gown with long sleeves and gold brocade detail

The dinner for 123 guests marked Mrs Trump's highest-profile hostess gig to date as First Lady.

The White House had stressed that Melania, who planned her 2005 wedding, had a hand in every detail of the dinner from the place-settings to the giant flower arrangements greeting guests.

In a toast before Tuesday's dinner honoring France, President Trump described his wife as 'America's absolutely incredible first lady'.

He thanked her for her efforts on the dinner and said she had created an evening that everyone will always 'cherish and remember.'

The FLOTUS released a brief video showing her working on the details with her staff, including the menu and the cream-and-gold table settings prior to the event.

Reporters were briefly allowed into the White House ahead of the dinner to see the gold table settings, gold silverware, gold candlesticks, gold wine glasses, gold chairs – situated elegantly around puffs of green and white flowers – in the candlelit state dining room.

At each of the place settings there was a menu, with the White House seal and the fleur-de-lis, which were also in gold.

Just outside the state dining room, the first lady went with a different theme, using some 1,200 cherry blossoms in giant black vases that would greet guests as they came in.

Donald and Melania Trump greeted French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte ahead of their first White House state dinner on Tuesday evening

Melania exchanged hugs and kisses with President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte ahead of the glitzy White House state dinner

Trump and his wife, Melania, exchanged hugs and air kisses with the Macrons before going inside the White House for the festivities

Macron and his wife Brigitte arrived at the White House as a light rain fell Tuesday evening

All eyes were on Melania as she stole the show in a Chanel black Chantilly lace haute couture gown that had been hand-painted with silver and embroidered with crystal and sequins

The Trumps held hands as they made their way into the state dinner on Tuesday, which Melania played a central role in planning

The White House showed off the finishing touches of first lady Melania Trump's decor on Monday night, from the place-setting to the giant flower arrangements greeting guests.

Earlier on Monday, the White House had released some details about the dinner, including the menu.

Goat cheese gateau, tomato jam, buttermilk biscuit crumbles, young variegated lettuces were served, along with a rack of spring lamb, burnt cipollini soubise and Carolina gold Rice Jambalaya, with a nectarine tart and crème fraîche ice cream for dessert.

Two wines from Oregon were served and a demi-sec champagne.

The meal was prepared by White House Executive Chef Christeta Comerford, who was hired during President George W. Bush's administration, and stayed through the Obama years.

Matching first ladies: Brigitte Macron and Melania Trump matched in their all-white ensembles on Tuesday morning

Pomp and circumstance: The two women accompanied their husbands to an arrival ceremony at the White House

Shield: Melania also donned a dramatic white hat with a wide brim

Twins: Melania and Brigitte made for a chic matching set

Mrs Trump's glittering gown was her second big fashion statement of the day.

She had earlier worn a stylish white belted suit with a broad-brimmed chapeau for her public appearances, including on a brief outing to the National Gallery of Art with Mrs Macron to view an exhibit of works by French painter Paul Cezanne.

The hat stayed atop her head as she returned to the White House and took her front-row seat in the East Room for the president's joint news conference with Macron. It bobbed up and down across the bottom of television screens as she entered the room and again as she rose to leave, spawning many a Twitter meme.

The hat was designed by Herve Pierre, the first lady's French-born stylist, according to Mrs Trump's office. The skirt suit was a creation of Michael Kors, a designer the first lady has worn in the past.

Mrs Macron also opted for all-white on Tuesday morning. The 65-year-old chose a more classic Chanel-style boucle dress and jacket

Brigitte's white above-the-knee dress had black accents at the pockets, as well as a white suit jacket with black piping and chain detailing. She accessorized with black pumps.

Reporters were briefly allowed into the White House's state dining room Monday night to take in the first lady's designs for the Trump administration's first state dinner

Melania Trump's vision for her first state dinner included golden place settings, puffs of white and light green flowers and dinner by candlelight

Earlier in the day, the first lady tweeted pictures of herself huddling with her social secretary Rickie Niceta (right) as the two women went over last minute details for Tuesday's state dinner with France