Kamala Harris Has a Uniform That Works for Her
Last night, Kamala Harris accepted the nomination for President of the United States with a historic speech addressing her past, her present, and the future she sees for the country. Like she always does, she appeared confident and poised, ready to be productive. It was an impressive display. But while giving her beautiful, authentically patriotic address, she didn’t wear that same American patriotism on her sleeve, instead opting for another lovely suit and blouse from French fashion house Chloé.
A lot of people think it’s frivolous to talk about what a politician is wearing. They may think it’s sexist when it comes to discussing the style of women in power which, on so many levels, it inherently is. It’s never called into question whether a man in politics is wearing an American-made suit or not. They never will, which is shitty, because those suits don’t sell other suits. Women in politics, and for that matter business, pop culture, and beyond, will always unfortunately be held to unfair scrutiny and a double-standard because the clothes that they wear are watched and wished for and in the end, shopped for.
But no matter what side of the coin you fall on in those arguments, there’s no denying the incredible impact that that kind of visibility, especially when worn by a historic political candidate, can lift up businesses–exactly what Harris is promising to do as the next President of the United States.
As Puck’s Lauren Sherman reported in her Line Sheet newsletter this week, the New York-based label Monse received over 800 pre-orders for their a-symmetrically tailored jacket after it was worn by Michelle Obama to deliver one of the most powerful speeches of the DNC. Obama, who works with stylist Meredith Koop, has always been a master at positioning American brands, both big and small, both high and low, on the main stages of the world.
She did it first with J.Crew and later, designers who at the time were still on-the-rise, like Jason Wu, and she did it all while still remaining authentically herself and true to her inherent sense of style. The point was actually never really about the look but instead, the idea that maybe, just maybe, her embrace of a certain label would help propel those businesses forward from the bottom up, from the seamstresses to the factories, to the people working behind-the-scenes in the studios and ateliers. An American first lady supporting the American fashion industry. And yes, she was First Lady, an entirely different job in which women don't often get a voice so they often have to use clothes to speak about their policies and beliefs.
Because women in global leadership positions can change an industry. Just as so many spoke about during the entirety of the DNC, it’s about focusing on those working in American factories, on the ground, it’s about productivity. If “show, don’t tell” is something that Harris really believes in, then she could take more of a nuanced approach in terms of the designers she chooses to wear. Unfortunately, her appearance and her clothes will be scrutinized. So why not pick out something to wear from Sergio Hudson or Christopher John Rogers again? Maybe a jacket from Willy Chavarria or Khaite or Rachel Comey. Tory Burch, Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, and Adam Lippes all make beautiful tailoring that befits a commander-in-chief. What an American designer’s version of a Harris suit would do is inspire people to Google those designers’ names, discover their Instagram feeds, shop for their clothes, and pour money back into their independent companies, large or small.
Fashion, as a very famous designer once told me, is not a light industry in America, so we should never treat it like one. America has always played second fiddle to the high fashion houses of Europe and by Harris not choosing to wear designers from her home country perpetuates that messaging in a way. No matter the price tag on the garment, if it’s made here, it’s made by Americans, and that's who Harris was addressing last night.
There is a fight ahead for Democrats, and this week’s DNC undoubtedly showed that Harris is up for the job, no matter how she chooses to dress. It should also be said that she’s just getting started and she'll have plenty of time in the White House to try different labels in her repertoire if she chooses. Whatever her decisions are though, it’s most important that they are in fact, hers. In the spirit of all she stands for, here’s hoping that soon she’ll don some American designers between now and November. That’s the strength of wearing and doing.
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