http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/15/fashion/new-york-fashion-week-ivana-trump-dennis-basso.html 2016-09-14 19:39:50 Ivana Trump Supports Dennis Basso, and Her Ex-Husband The designer’s front row also featured some “Real Housewives” and a Hilton. === Ivana Trump, best known as the first spouse of the 2016 Republican candidate for president and the woman who coined the term “The Donald,” made her Ms. Trump wore a black-and-white patterned dress and sat next to Nikki Haskell, a West Coast socialite who helped invent the weight-loss pill Star Caps and who When the Trumps divorced in the early ’90s, after Mr. Trump’s affair with Marla Maples (soon to be Wife No. 2), things were anything but cordial between them. But reporters hoping for a morsel of news that might somehow break the Twittersphere were going to walk away disappointed on this day. Ms. Trump has already issued unequivocal support for her former husband. And as a reporter approached, she was busy telling someone else about her stance on immigration. “I think the Mexican people and all the immigrants are perfectly fine,” she said. “They are good workers and good people, but they have to come here legally, they have to speak at least a little bit of English and pay their taxes.” She was also not so inclined to discuss such issues with anyone from The New York Times. “You are not so nice to Donald,” Ms. Trump said, adding that she was “not a politician” and was here only because Mr. Basso was a “good friend.” Had he designed her dress, too? “No,” she said. “Roberto Cavalli.” Security guards announced that the show was about to begin, and party page fixtures like Nicky Hilton Rothschild, Somers Farkas and Elisabeth Kieselstein-Cord took their seats. Then, electronic music blared for 15 minutes, while models showed off white fitted cocktail dresses, taupe suede skirts and luscious brown bolero-like fur coats. In the audience was Kelly Killoren Bensimon and Luann de Lesseps — both of whom have appeared on “The Real Housewives of New York” over the years. Ms. de Lesseps and Ms. Bensimon (who referred to the crowd as “well bred, well fed and well read”) headed backstage afterward to kiss the ring of the man who designed the collection. Mr. Basso was dressed in a black blazer, a black-and-white tie and khaki-ish dress pants. And it was quickly clear that he has a formidable ability to show equal love for all the women in attendance, whether young or old, famous or nonfamous. He kissed random grandmothers and squeezed their wrists. He posed for pictures with the young daughters of his more middle-aged clients. “It’s wonderful,” he said, looking out at all his well-wishers a moment later. “We have young women in their teens to women of a certain age. I think that’s great.” Of course, not every designer in this polarized election season would be so eager to have the supportive ex-wife of the Republican contestant for president as one of these front-row patrons, but Mr. Basso had no such quibbles. “She’s a wonderful woman,” he said of Ms. Trump, shortly after a quick hello with her, too. “She was at my first show in 1983. And she’s actually been to every show since then. Her children come. We’re friends of the family.” But he was not about to say whom he was planning on voting for. “I think that’s a personal question,” he said, darting off to kiss more cheeks and squeeze more wrists.