With Biden finally emerging from a tumultuous election campaign, Kamala Harris has been thrust into the spotlight as the Democratic candidate for the 2024 US presidential election. As the first South Asian and Black woman to hold the vice presidency of the United States, all eyes are on her. In the wake of her nomination, today we explore her conscious fashion choices and the political implications of her power suits.
Pant suits: strength and femininity can coexist
How Kamala Harris is using fashion as a political force {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}}
As vice president and the first woman of color to hold public office, Kamala is conscious of being judged from head to toe in the public eye, so her unofficial uniform appears to be a series of suits designed by French-American designer Joseph Altuzarra, who also designed the blue jacket she wears in her official portrait and the suit that graces the cover of Elle magazine.
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When asked in a New York Times article about why she favors this type of attire, Altuzarra responded, “She’s created an incredibly powerful image, but at the same time, she’s not trying to erase femininity. She strikes that balance really well.” Consistently wearing these classic, stylish suits sends a clear message to women around the world, especially women of color, that it’s possible to be serious and fashionable at the same time, a decades-old philosophy first popularized by Elle Woods in the film Legally Blonde (2001).
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Pearls: A focus on personal and American history
The pearls Kamala often wears not only reflect her personal history, but also her affiliation to Alpha Kappa Alpha, one of the oldest black sororities in the United States.
“The pearl necklace speaks to unity among our members,” AKA International President Glenda Glover said in an interview with Vanity Fair. “This is a great moment for AKA, for African Americans, for women. Whether she’s wearing pearls or not, she’s an inspiration.”
{{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} Kamala Harris’ Inauguration Pearl
Monochrome ensembles: rich in symbolism
During her first public appearance as vice president alongside Joe Biden, Kamala debuted a striking monochrome all-white suit, a departure from her usual attire, an example of how her outfits for important events are always rich in symbolism.
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Her pussy-bow blouse, a feminine take on the bow tie worn when women were finally admitted into the workforce, emphasizes themes of female empowerment and feminism. Additionally, according to costume and fashion historian Shelby Ivey Christie, “monochrome outfits are often a symbol of celebration in the black community.”
Embroidered messages on accessories
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The current vice president has also used literal embroidery and stickers to express her intentions in the public eye: She wore boots embroidered with “VOTE” during previous campaign rallies, for example, and a jacket embroidered with “Love” when she introduced her husband at his first rally in 2019. These choices reflect both her fashion influences and her awareness of the intense scrutiny she faces as a woman on one of the world’s biggest political stages.
Kamala Harris’ Boots
A platform for designers of color
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The final element of Kamala’s power dressing is her deliberate focus on lesser known designers of color. Her inauguration outfit was a striking all-purple ensemble by two African-American designers, Christopher John Rogers and Sergio Hudson. The emphasis on designers of color at these important milestones marked Harris’ attempt to break away from Eurocentric control over the luxury fashion industry. Through her clothes, she expressed that democratic American high fashion should embrace creators from diverse backgrounds and not, in reality, be limited to white people.
Kamala Harris in her inauguration attire {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}}
Will Kamala Harris become president of the United States? Only time will tell. For now, it’s clear that she handles the spotlight with grace and is strategic about using her position, especially through her fashion choices.
