When Kamala Harris took the stage in a surprise appearance during 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 tan suit designed by Chloé's creative director, Chemena Kamali. Her outfit featured a tan jacket with black buttons, matching wide-leg trousers and a white pussy-bow blouse. It caught the attention of social media and immediately drew comparisons to the tan suit famously worn in August 2014 by then-President Barack Obama.
Harris is no stranger to Kamali's designs, having previously turned heads in an emerald green cape dress by the designer at a state dinner with the president and first lady of Kenya in May.
Carolyn Mair, fashion business consultant and author of The Psychology of Fashion, sees the tan suit as a "calculated decision" by the vice president to project an image of "confidence, calmness and resilience" as she continues her campaign for the White House with running mate Gov. Tim Walz.
“It’s about using every aspect of appearance to reinforce a broader narrative,” Mair told Yahoo Entertainment about Harris’s fashion statement. “A tan suit is likely to be interpreted as less formal and ‘stuffy’ than a suit in a classic color such as blue, gray or black.”
Both Chloé and Kamali denied Yahoo Entertainment’s request for comment.
The last time a politician in a tan suit stirred up this much attention was in 2014, when then Obama wore it at a White House press conference about the U.S. military response to ISIS in Syria.
At the time, public reaction seemed to be fixated more on his outfit than on his message. Former Republican congressman Peter King suggested Obama's suit was a metaphor for the president's lack of seriousness, while former Fox News host Lou Dobbs declared the tan suit to be a "shocking" image to "a lot of people."
Obama didn't let what became dubbed as "Tan-Gate" dampen his spirits, or his fashion choices for that matter throughout his second term. In his final press conference as president in January 2017, he quipped that he was "sorely tempted" to wear a tan suit one last time but decided against it on the counsel of first lady Michelle Obama.
In hindsight, Mair said Obama’s tan suit has become a symbol of the “trivial and racially charged scrutiny faced by politicians of color,” a feeling Harris may have been trying to evoke in her own suit at the DNC.
“Kamala’s tan suit can be seen as a subtle yet powerful statement that aligns her with Obama's legacy,” she said. “The suit could be seen as a message of continuity with past leadership, an assertion of her place in history and a quiet defiance of superficial criticism.”
That message wouldn’t have escaped Harris.
"If she was picking up the tan suit baton and running with it, there was most likely a reason," the New York Times reported.
During her time in the political spotlight, Harris's 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 faced backlash for wearing a similar outfit under different circumstances.
In January 2021, one of her Vogue covers sparked conversations about whether her casual look of black Converse sneakers, a blazer and skinny pants was "disrespectful" of her historical 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’s style has become “more expressive” over the years, going from understated dark suits as a former prosecutor and U.S. senator to incorporating a range of colors and textures to her wardrobe as vice president and, now, a presidential candidate.
Still, Harris's campaign wardrobe has been consistent with the neutral-toned pantsuits that defined her vice presidential uniform. Favoring shades of black, navy and beige, with occasional pops of color, she's also known to wear sneakers and signature pearls — the latter of which is reportedly a tribute to her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA).
Harris’s style attempts to balance “authority with approachability, and strength with empathy,” Mair said. That type of consistency is important when it comes to female politicians, who she said tend to be unfairly judged on appearance far more than men do.
“Women politicians need to avoid being perceived as extreme — too aggressive or too soft, too traditional or too avant-garde,” she said. “Fashion becomes an extension of their political messaging, helping to craft an image that aligns with their policy goals and the demographics they aim to connect with.”
In the weeks ahead, Mair expects the subtle messages behind Harris’s fashion choices to be examined more closely.
“Her clothing choices reflect her role as a bridge between the establishment and the new wave of diverse leadership,” said Mair. “[It’s a] conscious effort to use fashion not only as a means of self-expression but as a powerful tool.”
