When Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance on stage on the first night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, she set the tone for her presidential campaign.
In a sea of red, white and blue, Harris stood out in a brown suit designed by Chloé’s creative director, Chemena Kamali. Her outfit consisted of a brown jacket with black buttons, matching wide-leg pants and a white blouse with a bow. It caught the attention of social media and was immediately compared to the brown suit famously worn by then-President Barack Obama in August 2014.
Harris is no stranger to Kamali’s designs, having previously turned heads in an emerald green cape dress by the designer at a state banquet with the president and first lady of Kenya in May.
Carolyn Mair, fashion business consultant and author of The psychology of fashion, sees the brown suit as a “calculated decision” by the vice president to project an image of “confidence, calm and resilience” as she continues her campaign for the White House with her running mate Governor Tim Walz.
“It’s about using every aspect of the look to reinforce a broader story,” Mair told Yahoo Entertainment of Harris’s fashion statement. “A brown suit is likely to be interpreted as less formal and ‘stiff’ than a suit in a classic color like blue, gray or black.”
Both Chloé and Kamali denied Yahoo Entertainment’s request for comment.
The last time a politician in a brown suit received so much attention was in 2014, when Obama wore it to a White House press conference about the US military response to ISIS in Syria.
At the time, public reaction seemed more fixated on his outfit than his message. Former Republican congressman Peter King suggested that Obama’s suit was a metaphor for the president’s lack of seriousness, while former Fox News host Lou Dobbs declared that the brown suit was a “shocking” image for “a lot of people.”
Obama’s later nickname “Tan-Gate” didn’t dampen his spirits, or his fashion choices, during his second term. In his final press conference as president in January 2017, he joked that he was “very tempted” to wear a tan suit one last time, but decided against it on the advice of first lady Michelle Obama.
In retrospect, Mair said Obama’s brown suit has become a symbol of the “trivial and racially charged scrutiny that politicians of color face,” a sentiment Harris may have been trying to evoke in her own lawsuit at the DNC.
“Kamala’s brown suit can be seen as a subtle but powerful statement connecting her to Obama’s legacy,” she said. “The suit can be seen as a message of continuity with previous leadership, an affirmation of her place in history, and a quiet disdain for superficial criticism.”
That message would not have gone unnoticed by Harris.
“If she picked up the stick from the brown suit and started working with it, there was probably a reason for it,” the New York Times reported.
During her time in the political spotlight, Harris’ fashion choices have been well-documented. During the 2020 presidential campaign, she was praised for wearing Timberland boots while touring the damage caused by wildfires in California. Others, however, criticized the coverage as media bias, noting that then-first lady Melania Trump was criticized for wearing a similar outfit in different circumstances.
In January 2021, one of her Fashion covers sparked conversations about whether her casual look of black Converse sneakers, a blazer and skinny pants was “disrespectful” to her historic role as vice president. A few weeks later, she was criticized for wearing Dolce & Gabbana in light of the brand’s controversies.
Mair said Harris’ style has become “more expressive” over the years, from understated dark suits as a former prosecutor and U.S. senator to incorporating a range of colors and textures into her wardrobe as vice president and now as a presidential candidate.
Still, Harris’ campaign wardrobe remains consistent with the neutral pantsuits that defined her vice presidential uniform. She favors shades of black, navy and beige, with occasional pops of color, and has been known to wear sneakers and signature pearls — the latter of which is reportedly an homage to her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA).
Harris’ style seeks to balance “authority with approachability, and strength with empathy,” Mair said. That kind of consistency is important when it comes to female politicians, who she said are far more likely to be unfairly judged on their appearance than men.
“Women politicians need to avoid being seen as extreme — too aggressive or too soft, too traditional or too avant-garde,” she said. “Fashion becomes an extension of their political message, helping to create an image that resonates with their policy goals and the demographics they want to connect with.”
Mair expects the subtle messages behind Harris’ fashion choices to be explored further in the coming weeks.
“Her clothing choices reflect her role as a bridge between the establishment and the new wave of diverse leadership,” Mair said.[It’s a] “conscious attempt to use fashion not just as a means of self-expression, but as a powerful tool.”
