First lady Melania Trump plays hostess at her first White House soirée

First lady Melania Trump played hostess Sunday for her first formal soirée at the White House, the annual Governors Ball, where triumphant Republicans celebrated while most everyone else outside Washington focused on the Oscars.

The glittery goings on in Los Angeles somewhat overshadowed the glittery gloating at the White House, but maybe that was a good thing for Mrs. Trump, the Slovenia-born former model who's still shyly feeling her way around her new role as a part-time FLOTUS.

In any case, she certainly looked smashing in a form-fitting black gown.

In a White House statement, Trump said she was "proud" to host the event in the State Dining Room. "Tonight, we come together as one nation, leaving political labels and partisan interests behind,” her statement said.

She said the party had a “Spring's Renewal” theme and “the scents of jasmine and roses fill the air as we give thanks for this great nation and the glory of renewal.”

Last week, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said at one of his daily briefings that Trump had "put a lot of time" planning the annual Governors Ball, which is traditionally the first formal event at the White House for a new president — and usually falls on the same night as the Oscars.

Which is ironic because the Governors Ball is also the name of the after party hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences after the Oscars ceremony every year.

"Mrs. Trump looks forward to putting on a phenomenal event," Spicer declared, without specifying where she was while planning the ball. Trump, 46, is living in New York until June when the youngest Trump child finishes the school year, and has been seen only infrequently in public since the inauguration, or even since the election.

Trump has not yet hired a full staff for the East Wing, but she does have a chief of staff and a social secretary whose job is to do the lion's share of the planning (food, flowers, table settings, etc.) for the ball, a feature of the annual National Governors Association’s winter meeting.

Although all 50 state governors are invited, plus their spouses, it may be that the turnout will come from the 33 states where the GOP holds the gubernatorial power.