Journalist Alena Doletskaya published archival photographs of US First Lady Melania Trump in her personal blog .
The photos were taken in early 1987 by Slovenian photographer Stan Jerko, who helped Melania Knauss begin her modeling career. She was only 16 years old at the time.
Jerko spotted the future star on the street while she was waiting for a friend who was taking part in a fashion show. “I was getting ready to go home shortly before the end of the show. On the stairs of the building I saw a girl who immediately caught my attention. She was tall, slim and attractive, with long hair and memorable eyes,” the photographer told the Today portal .
Stan invited Melania to his studio for a test shoot. For the first photo shoot, Knauss brought her own clothes. According to Jerko, her first photos were “very promising.” For the second shoot, the model posed in clothes from a local textile factory.
Stan noted that Melania was shy at first, but after a few shots she was able to loosen up and feel comfortable in front of the camera.
Internet users rated the photos: “I would never have recognized her here,” “Pretty,” “A different person,” “You can see her modeling potential.”
After photo shoots with Jerko, Melania was noticed by modeling agents: she began working in Europe and the USA, where she later met Donald Trump.