A lthough far less important than the political violence at the White House correspondent’s dinner in Washington over the weekend, the sartorial choices of the Maga administration are now getting airtime – and one dress is causing a particular furore.

It is being reported that Jennifer Rauchet, wife of the US secretary of defence, Pete Hegseth , wore what appeared to resemble a gown listed on Shein for $42 (and similar to another on Temu for half the price).

Naturally, some backlash has been inevitable. Shein is a gargantuan Chinese fast-fashion marketplace, and Temu is the country’s answer to Amazon – while Hegseth champions nationalism and “America first”. The US also continues to engage in a trade war with China, and Rauchet’s husband has been outspoken on the threat he sees the nation posing to the world .…