Vice President Kamala Harris knows how to rock a suit, but 'she does not want attention on her fashion at all,' blogger says

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Kamala Harris does not want attention on her fashion,” Susan Kelley, founder of the blog What Kamala Wore, says. “She wants the focus to be on what she says and what she does.”

Despite that desire, the first woman to become vice president and the first Black and South Asian individual to serve in the position still draws attention for her clothes, whether it be a power suit or pearls. “Because of who she is and what she's doing, her styles should be documented,” Kelley believes. The blogger, who also documents Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle’s fashion, looks back at some of Harris’s most impactful looks — and what’s to come.

Evening look

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 22:  Attorney Douglas Emhoff (L) and California Attorney General Kamala Harris attend the 2015 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Graydon Carter at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on February 22, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California.  (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
Kamala Harris attended the 2015 Vanity Fair Oscar Party with husband Douglas Emhoff on February 22, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

This Pamela Rolland gown that Harris wore to Vanity Fair’s Oscar party in 2015 is a “classic Kamala Harris evening look,” Shelley says.

Lighter colors

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 13:  Senate Intelligence Committee members Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) (C) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) (R) arrive for a closed-door committee meeting in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill July 13, 2017 in Washington, DC. Some members of the committee have demanded that Donald Trump, Jr. testify before the intelligence committee after it was revealed that he and Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort met with a Russian lawyer in hopes of getting opposition information on Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election.  (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Harris — pictured here with Sen. Marco Rubio — wore a plaid Escada suit for a closed-door Senate Intelligence Committee meeting in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill July 13, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Harris will wear lighter colors occasionally, Shelley points out, and in 2017 for a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, she opted for a suit from Escada in a muted plaid. “I’m a fan of most of her looks,” Shelley says. “She very much has a uniform and this very much speaks to that.”

Uniform style

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 31: Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) waves after speaking to the media during a stop at Buccaneer Park on October 31, 2020 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Harris continues to campaign before the November 3rd election day. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Harris rocking her signature style on the campaign trail. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

“She’s like any woman I know that once she finds something that fits, you’re going to keep wearing that style because if it’s comfortable and it works for you that’s a beautiful thing,” says Shelley. Harris’s go-tos are pearls, Converse sneakers and a tailored suit.

Pride parade

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 30: Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) waves to the crowd as she rides in a car during the SF Pride Parade on June 30, 2019 in San Francisco, California. Sen. Harris spent the weekend in the San Francisco Bay Area where she attended a fundraiser and the annual SF Pride Parade.  (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Kamala Harris wore a Levi's bedazzled jean jacket during the SF Pride Parade on June 30, 2019 in San Francisco, California. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The outfit Harris wore to the pride parade, a jean jacket from Levi’s bedazzled with rainbow rhinestones, is an example of using clothing to make a statement. “This is somebody who’s loving it who wants to send that message,” Shelley says.

Suffragette white

WILMINGTON, DELAWARE - NOVEMBER 07:  Vice President-elect Kamala Harris takes the stage at the Chase Center before President-elect Joe Biden's address to the nation November 07, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. After four days of counting the high volume of mail-in ballots in key battleground states due to the coronavirus pandemic, the race was called for Biden after a contentious election battle against incumbent Republican President Donald Trump. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris made a statement with a white suit while addressing the nation on November 07, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. (Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

“She knows the message that suffragette white sends,” says Shelley of the outfit Harris wore when addressing the nation in Delaware after Joe Biden was projected to be the winner of the election. “It’s a very elegant piece by Wes Anderson at Carolina Herrera and the cut was just perfect. The detailing was very chic, overall a great look for her.”

Vogue covers

Inauguration Day

What can we expect her to wear during the inauguration? In light of the siege at the Capitol just two weeks ago and the ongoing pandemic, Kelley says the emphasis will be on looking appropriate and respectful. “I would expect probably a structured overcoat and probably a pantsuit.” Whatever she wears, she’ll be representing a moment that will live on for decades to come.

Update: The new Vice President chose to wear a purple coat by Christopher John Rogers, a Black American designer from Baton Rouge, La. Historically, the color purple has represented the suffragettes movement and bipartisanship. She also donned her signature pearls, designed by Wilfredo Rosado, and a David Yurman American flag lapel pin.

US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her spouse Doug Emhoff arrive for the inauguration. (Photo: Jonathan Ernst/APF via Getty Images)
US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her spouse Doug Emhoff arrive for the inauguration. (Photo: Jonathan Ernst/APF via Getty Images)

Video produced by Kat Vasquez

Read more from Yahoo Life:

Want lifestyle and wellness news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo Life’s newsletter.