Story highlights
- Melania Trump used to wear fur
- She no longer does
(CNN)If you were to do a Google image search for "Melania Trump and fur," plenty of pictures pop up.
She's in a swingy brown cape, what appears to be a black-and-gray chinchilla, a luxe caramel-colored knee-length number; and who can forget the hat she wore during Fashion Week in 2007?
In 2003, she and husband, now-President Donald Trump, even went to the opening of fur designer Dennis Basso's Manhattan boutique:
However, the first lady's office now tells CNN those days are over.
"She does not wear fur," Stephanie Grisham, Trump's East Wing communications director said via email.
The news comes on the heels of a Twitter post by animal rights activist -- and Playboy Playmate -- Pamela Anderson, who showed a photo of a "thank you" note from Melania Trump, acknowledging a gift Anderson sent her following Trump's January inauguration.
Anderson, an honorary director of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, mailed Trump a present in February, thanking her for wearing the blue Ralph Lauren ensemble she wore for Inauguration Day; Lauren's design house stopped using fur in 2007.
Anderson's gift was a faux lamb fur coat -- with vegan belt -- made by Russian faux fur company, Only Me, and accompanied it with a letter saying in part: "I am so happy that you chose not to wear fur! As first lady, you will help set style trends, and by remaining compassionate with your choices, you will warm the hearts of many."
Grisham acknowledged the first lady responded to Anderson with gratitude for the gift.
"The first lady sent a nice thank you note after receiving a gift, as is common practice for her," she said.
PETA praised the first lady, outlining her support for the organization in recent years.
"Melania first attended a PETA fashion show years ago that featured one of her favorite designers, Marc Bouwer, a longtime PETA supporter who uses no fur, leather or exotic skins in his collections," Dan Mathews, PETA senior vice president, said in a statement. "More recently, Pamela Anderson sent elegant Melania a stylish faux fur, as well as a video showing how animals are cruelly killed in the wild and on fur farms, so it's no surprise that she is now fur-free, following in the footsteps of so many fashion icons and first ladies."
The most recent fur-looking outfit found via a search on Getty Images appears to be this one from 2011's Christmas Tree lighting at Rockefeller Center.
But it is unclear whether the coat is real or faux, since the White House was unable to provide an exact date for when Melania Trump stopped wearing real fur.
