Kamala Harris Is Making History As Vice President. How Will Her Style Reflect That?
Fashion experts predict how Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will use style to tell a story
By Ruth Etiesit Samuel •
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Kamala Harris makes history as the first Vice President of the United States. “I think she’ll want to celebrate the abundance of diverse talent that needs support. The United States is a tapestry of cultures and heritage, and I think she will want to celebrate that,” said fashion and race historian Kimberly Jenkins.
As Kamala Harris makes history as the first Black, South Asian and female vice president, fashion leaders hope her style choices will make a statement — especially one that promotes American designers.
“I think she has a duty to uplift American fashion because by doing so, she adds value to it,” said Antoine Gregory, founder of Black Fashion Fair, an online platform that aims to bolster Black designers who have often been ignored or erased from history. “People who are in fashion place a higher value on European design. A lot of American designers don't get the same acknowledgment, the same type of press or the same type of visibility.”
And unlike multibillion dollar conglomerates in Europe, many American designers are small business owners who have been struck hard by COVID-19, Gregory points out. The fashion stylist and nine-year industry veteran said he hopes to see Harris’ style reflect the Biden administration’s platform of supporting vulnerable small businesses, especially those owned by people of color.
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Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt and guests of honor at an inaugural ball held in Washington, D.C., on Mar. 5, 1933. Left to right: Mrs. Cary T. Grayson, Ray Baker, James Roosevelt, Mrs. Roosevelt, Rear Admiral Cary T. Grayson, retired, and Brigadier General William T. Horton, retired.
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President Dwight Eisenhower and first lady Mamie Eisenhower sit in a box in the balcony at the National Guard Armory during one of inaugural balls held in his honor on Jan. 20, 1953.
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Jacqueline Kennedy lifts the skirt of her inaugural ball gown as she and her husband, President-elect John F. Kennedy, leave their Georgetown home in the snowfall en route to the inaugural concert in Washington, D.C., Jan. 19, 1961.
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President John F. Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy in a relaxed moment as they attend one of five inaugural balls, Jan. 20, 1961. At left is Vice President Lyndon Johnson.
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Lady Bird Johnson, center, her daughters Luci Baines, left, and Lynda Bird, right, pose in New York City on Jan. 12, 1961. They are modeling the gowns they would wear at the inaugural ball on Jan. 20.
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This Jan. 18, 1965, photo shows Lyndon B. Johnson and his wife, Lady Bird, wearing a white peau de soie gown for the year's inaugural gala.
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President Nixon, right, and his family prepare to leave the White House to attend six inaugural balls in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20, 1969. From left: David Eisenhower; Julie Nixon Eisenhower; Doug Rogers, son of the new secretary of state and Tricia Nixon's escort; Tricia Nixon; Pat Nixon and the president.
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President Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter are pictured with their daughter, Amy, at the first of seven inaugural balls in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Jan. 20, 1977.
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President Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy, dance at an inaugural ball at the Pension Building in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 1981. The president and first lady were scheduled to appear at nine balls during the evening.
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In this Jan. 21, 1985 photo, President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan arrive at the inaugural ball in the Washington Hilton in Washington.
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President-elect George H. W. Bush, left, strains to see the crowd as his wife, Barbara, waves to well-wishers during their second inaugural ball of the evening at the Pension Building, Jan. 18, 1989, Washington, D.C.
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Hillary and President-elect Bill Clinton are seen at one of the four official inaugural dinners in Washington, Jan. 19, 1993.
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President Bill and first lady Hillary Clinton, along with daughter Chelsea, at the New England Ball during inauguration night festivities in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20, 1993.
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President Bill Clinton and first lady Hillary Clinton, dance at the New England Ball Monday, Jan. 20, 1997, in Washington D.C.
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President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush smile as they are welcomed by supporters at the Salute to Heroes and Veterans Banquet in Washington, D.C., Saturday, Jan. 20, 2001.
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President George W. Bush, right, first lady Laura Bush and their twin daughters Barbara (far left) and Jenna (to her right) are introduced at the Texas State Society's Black Tie and Boots Ball the week's first inaugural gala Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2005, in Washington, D.C.
President Barack Obama, left, and first lady Michelle Obama, right, are introduced at the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009.
In this Jan. 21, 2013, photo, President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama wave to guests after their dance at the Inaugural Ball at the 57th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, D.C.
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President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump during the Salute to Our Armed Services Inaugural Ball at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC, January 20, 2017.
“Ann Lowe, who designed Jackie Kennedy's wedding dress, never got credit for that. What should have been a moment that was the height of someone's career at that time, she was completely written out of. Black and brown designers have always been a part of the greater fashion landscape, but they have always been left out,” Gregory said.
But Harris wouldn't be the first woman of the White House to use her role to elevate young, ethnically diverse American designers.
“I think that it’s an attempt to unify America, not unlike the way Michelle Obama did where she worked to champion American designers and brands," said fashion and race historian Kimberly Jenkins. "I think she’ll want to celebrate the abundance of diverse talent that needs support. The United States is a tapestry of cultures and heritage, and I think she will want to celebrate that.”
Jenkins, an assistant professor of fashion studies at Ryerson University, noted that the role of vice president is much different than that of a first lady, and people should not conflate the two. While she doesn’t expect Harris to wear her signature Converse sneakers at the inauguration, Jenkins predicts the vice president will remain true to clothing choices she feels most authentic in.
“Styling decisions need to be collaborative," Jenkins said. "While we see Vice President-elect Harris now in this very critical position, she is out on the front lines, which is very different than a first lady. For better or for worse, Black women are often looked to, to be strong for everyone else, much like what we saw with Stacey Abrams. We just expect them to be strong without nurturing them.”
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Angelique McKenna, left, and Vivian Mora, react to a speech by President-elect Joe Biden who defeated President Trump to become the 46th president of the United States, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, in Washington.
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People react to a victory speech by President-elect Joe Biden, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, in Washington.
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US President-elect Joe Biden’s supporters gather to celebrate the victory in front of the White House in Washington, United States on November 07, 2020.
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Supporters arrive to attend an event with President-elect Joe Biden, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, in Wilmington, Del.
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Children wave American flags before an event with President-elect Joe Biden, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, in Wilmington, Del.
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Supporters of President-elect Joe Biden get ready for him to speak in Wilmington, Del., Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020.
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A man dressed as Uncle Sam celebrates while standing on a statue outside City Hall after Joe Biden is declared the President-elect on Nov. 7, 2020 in Philadelphia.
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Pro Biden demonstrators rally around every vote counts in Lancaster, Pa.’s Penn Square after former vice president and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden was announced as the winner over Pres. Donald Trump Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020.
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Meredith Walsh celebrates the victory of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris in Oakland, California, Nov. 7, 2020. Biden defeated President Donald Trump to become the 46th president of the United States on Saturday, positioning himself to lead a nation gripped by the historic pandemic and a confluence of economic and social turmoil.
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People celebrate Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, in Philadelphia, after Democrat Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump to become 46th President of the United States.
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A woman waves a Joe Biden flag as people celebrate on Black Lives Matter plaza across from the White House in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 7, 2020, after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election.
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President Donald Trump returns to the White House from a round of golf in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 7, 2020, after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election.
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People react to the motorcade carrying President Donald Trump back to the White House on Nov. 7, 2020, in Washington, D.C., after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election.
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Supporters of President Donald Trump demonstrate in front of the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix, Arizona, on Nov. 7, 2020. Democrat Joe Biden has won the White House, U.S. media said on November 7, defeating Donald Trump and ending a presidency that convulsed American politics, shocked the world and left the United States more divided than at any time in decades.
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People celebrate on Black Lives Matter plaza across from the White House in Washington, DC on Nov 7, 2020, after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election.
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Jenkins expects Harris to favor sober colors and sharp suiting throughout her term, prioritizing a practical, comfortable and protective wardrobe.
Neha Prakash, the senior news and culture editor at Marie Claire, thinks Harris could incorporate her South Asian heritage into her style by wearing statement jewelry pieces from designers such as Stella Simona.
“There's a lot of second and third-generation designers who are incorporating the things they love about Eastern fashion and trends into Western clothing and fusing those two types of heritages. What’s kind of amazing about the vice president-elect is that she also is kind of the coming together of two cultures,” said Prakash, citing Harris' mother and father who immigrated to the U.S. from India and Jamaica respectively.
Designers Niki and Ritika Shamdasani created their brand Sani in 2017 to increase the visibility of South Asian craftsmanship and techniques. In February 2020, the two sisters from North Carolina clinched a deal with Rent The Runway and became the first South Asian-inspired brand available on the clothing rental app.
“There are so many examples of Western fashion loving South Asian influence, from the embroidery to the beading to the cuts. We are inherently a part of the U.S. style canon that exists,” said 27-year-old Niki Shamdasani.
“There are so many non-South Asians whose understanding of our fashion is just centered around the sari when the sari is one style of many," she continued. "It would be a dream to dress her for a more traditional Indian event, like Diwali, but then also make an anarkali for her for the inaugural ball or a state dinner where she would be bringing South Asian fashion to a new context.”
Recalling the uproar over former President Barack Obama’s tan suit, Ritika Shamdasani, 19, noted that White House style tends to lean more conservative, and that women are held to an even higher standard when dressing. The sophomore at North Carolina State University said that she hopes the vice president’s choices will be seen as an amplification of her values — and expand the perception of what an American leader looks like.
Regardless of which designers she wears, Harris has an opportunity to use her clothing to share a message.
“I just hope that she chooses things that fit into her story, and I hope Black designers are (part of that). She comes from a very rich background, and the strongest thing that you can do is pull from it. The images from the inauguration are going to be in history books, so this is an opportunity for a Black designer to live on way past whatever they decide their career will be,” Gregory said.
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