Kamala Harris’ fashion evolution: It’s “pretty boring,” but that’s the point

As the first female, first Black and first Indian-American vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris has already made history multiple times. She may also be the first administration official to have numerous websites dedicated to documenting her style, but only for a short time.

Kamala’s Closet launched in November 2020 with a post documenting then-VP-elect Harris honoring the women’s suffrage movement in a bedazzled white pantsuit by Carolina Herrera. (Her silk-satin pussy-bow blouse was perhaps a fashion-wise throwing shade at then-defeated Donald Trump and his misogynistic boasting about his genitals.) But the site published just one more post, sharing Harris’ groundbreaking, controversially casual 2021 Vogue cover: a black cropped pantsuit by Donald Deal, a scoop-neck top, treasured pearls representing her Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) sorority, and staple Converse Chuck Taylors. Then it was gone.

What Kamala Wore lasted a little longer, documenting a wardrobe that consistently wore pantsuits in muted hues, occasionally mixing sophisticated camels and muted pastels, before going on hiatus in April 2022.

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Long-standing fashion lore dictates that subdued pantsuits, conservative shirts, and practical high heels serve as a woman’s armor in the workplace, especially if the workplace is the White House. Consistently adhering to businesslike suits and boardroom attire can provide ammunition for “freaky” adversaries who obsess over women’s appearances and make clumsy attempts to undermine their credibility, intelligence, and leadership abilities. But we must also consider the prejudices that are ingrained in society at large.

“As women, it’s like, ‘the more you do it, the less you do it, the worse.’ You can never walk the line that pleases everyone,” Veep costume designer Kathleen Felix Hager told The Daily Beast. “[If you’re too fashion-conscious]you’re seen as ‘too vain,’ unfocused, and empty. If you dress more conservatively and subdued — ‘plain,’ you’re criticized.”

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Harris has a mostly monochrome style, though she wears dresses and skirts when necessary, and occasionally splashes color on the occasional occasion, such as in January 2021 when she sent a message of unity at the inauguration in a purple coat and dress designed by queer black designer Christopher John Rogers, and in 2022 when she attended a memorial for Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama, in a camel “New Look”-inspired silhouette with a pearl necklace.

“Nobody pays attention to Harris’ fashion, and I think what she does is pretty boring,” said Alicia Lombardini, longtime stylist to 2018 New York gubernatorial candidate (and “Gilded Age” actress) Cynthia Nixon. “It’s very demure, very boxy, nothing to write home about, but I’m sure there’s a reason for it.”

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Indeed. Harris is campaigning to be leader of the free world, and she’s relying on the tried-and-true practical pantsuit to avoid making waves. Lombardini speculates that Harris, like Hillary Clinton, is avoiding the usual opportunities to look “vulnerable” in a dress, especially one that’s often associated with the “role of first lady.”

In Veep’s fictional Oval Office, Felix Hager dresses Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s vice president-turned-president Selina Meyer in boldly colored, body-con designer dresses. Interestingly, this trope seems to have become a uniform for Republican wives, the women in Trump’s inner circle, and Fox News hosts. (Meyer’s character’s political affiliation was not revealed in the HBO series.) Felix Hager explains that he “leaned into” norms of femininity and eschewed pants to highlight a woman in an unprecedented role of power.

“Of course,[dresses]would be judged more harshly in the real world,” she says. “Pantsuits are a safer choice for many women because they often signal seriousness and appropriateness to the situation.” (Notably, in Season 3’s Emmy-nominated Hucks, Felix Hager dressed Jean Smart’s pioneering comedian Deborah Vance in a pantsuit, another historic first in the male-dominated field of late-night network TV.)

While the safer choice might not be as inspiring from a fashion standpoint, Harris’ power pantsuits are actually invigorating a new generation of lawmakers. “We have a lot of candidates coming to us saying, ‘I want to dress like Kamala Harris,'” said Sarah LaFleur, founder of MMLaFleur.

“What is rarely appreciated is how amazing Harris is on a day-to-day basis. Her suits are barely wrinkled, her pants are the perfect length,” LaFleur continued. “She really has it down to a science.”

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Earlier this year, in preparation for the 2024 elections, MMLaFleur reintroduced its nonpartisan “Ready to Run” program. For the first time, the chic and versatile fashion label loaned clothes to 272 women running for office in 2020, helping 95 of them win. This election cycle, Ready to Run will introduce a team of style strategists to align candidates’ aesthetic, functionality, and message.

MMLaFleur style strategist Kate Leonard hears the same “key words” mentioned when candidates request Harris-inspired outfits. “The one thing that’s consistent is, ‘She looks so classic, and she looks so approachable and powerful, but at the same time, she looks so natural,'” Leonard says. “You can tell she’s comfortable in it.” Today, some candidates even have their trousers tailored to match their heels or sneakers.

Much like Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s quick adoption of Carhartt dad style, ease of wear helps Harris get her policy message across. It allows her to be herself, exuding the height of authenticity that resonates with voters. Plus, the vibrant Democratic candidate is bringing joy back to her base and politics in general, and Harris may be channeling that vibrancy into her fashion.

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Harris has previously shown off a playful style streak while staying true to her political message. In 2019, the then-senator celebrated San Francisco Pride in a denim jacket covered in rainbow crystals. At the 2021 gala in Washington, D.C., she paired a vibrant coral Prabal Gurung blazer with a “Love is Love” T-shirt (and Chucks sneakers, of course). At last year’s Kennedy Center Honors ceremony, she stunned in a vibrant lapis lazuli dress designed by Sergio Hudson, with power shoulders, long sleeves and a modest neckline.

Lombardini credits Harris with using her global platform to champion independent designers from underrepresented communities while also celebrating her own roots. “That’s an interesting point for people, especially younger voters,” the stylist said.

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“I don’t think her style has changed a lot, but I’ve noticed a bit of a shift in the last few weeks,” Felix Hager added, pointing to a series of bright, innocuous choices. At a rally in Las Vegas in early August, Harris revived the lilac pantsuit she wore to the Jennifer Hudson show last year, accessorizing with a gold chain necklace by Eileen Neuwirth. At another lively rally in North Carolina, she wore the Democrat’s pastel blue suit, layered necklaces and the same camel pumps.

On the first night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this week, Harris addressed an electrified crowd wearing a custom suit by Chloé creative director Shemena Kamali. The grain de poudre wool suit, layered over a white crêpe de chine lavallière blouse, felt like Harris’s liveliest yet most sophisticated look on the campaign trail. The color? Coconut brown.

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“It was brighter, a little happier, a little more celebratory,” Felix Heger continued. “Just the change of color was an interesting subtle twist in how she felt about the campaign.”

The enthusiasm is contagious. What Kamala Wore revived the wardrobe record in August. Rumor has it that Harris enlisted the help of Leslie Fremar, a Hollywood stylist who has worked with the likes of Charlize Theron and Jennifer Connelly.

“But if she wins, maybe she’ll take a chance and put herself out there a little more, which I think would be great,” Lombardini said, perhaps wishing her luck. “I’d love to see Michelle Obama’s fashion choices reflect our country’s first female president.”