Looking Back at Kamala Harris’ Presidential Style

With President Joe Biden announcing his withdrawal from the 2024 election, our eyes turn to Vice President Kamala Harris. The vice president is at the top of the list of potential candidates to replace Biden on the ticket, thanks to the piles of endorsements she’s earned since the announcement, including from the outgoing president himself.

As the saying goes, “dress for the job you want,” and Harris dressed in presidential fashion — especially as Biden’s right-hand woman. Over the past four years, we’ve seen the vice president elevate the ordinary to the extraordinary with her outfits.

On Inauguration Day 2021, Harris took her oath of office in a purple Christopher John Rogers gown and matching coat. Rogers is one of many Black American designers she has supported during her term. On Inauguration night, she opted for a structured black tuxedo coat, worn over a black sequined Sergio Hudson dress, and when she wore Beyoncé’s Renaissance During his tour last year in Maryland, the vice president wore a gold, sequined shirt by LaQuan Smith.

Color is also crucial for Harris. The purple Inauguration look served as a symbol of bipartisanship — a mix of Democratic blue and Republican red. And when she won the 2020 election, she wore a Suffragette-white Carolina Herrera suit.

Even her casual looks are being considered. In 2019, while she was still running for president in 2020, Harris spoke at a forum on gun safety in a casual, feminine look: a white button-down shirt, blue jeans, and black sneakers. She adopted that boots-on-the-ground look for a surprise appearance at the March for Reproductive Rights in 2023, wearing a sleek, buttery-brown leather jacket over a white button-down shirt.

Whether she’s wearing a custom Schiaparelli by Daniel Roseberry to a state dinner or a denim jacket emblazoned with the Pride flag, Kamala Harris has used clothing to exude authority, political statement, and competence throughout her term. We have no doubt that her run for President of the United States will be just as considered.