The United States of America has a new Vice President: former senator Kamala D. Harris, who makes history as the first Black, South Asian, and woman to swear in with this role. Vice President Harris took her oath of office alongside new President Joe Biden on Wednesday, January 20th, and of course, the outfit that she chose for this historic inauguration ceremony has gotten every talking.
While many expected the Vice President to wear some kind of pant suit (considering that she usually wears very practical and casual outfits, with sneakers being her signature shoe), Harris surprised everyone by attending the ceremony in an eye-catching purple dress and coat designed by Christopher John Rogers, a renowned African-American designer who, in 2019, took home the top prize from the prestigious CFDA/Vogue fashion fund.
A dress by a Black designer
The choice of a Black designer for the Vice President’s inauguration outfit is, of course, a significant statement on the part of Harris, who has made it very clear that her dual cultural heritage as a Black and Asian woman of Jamaican and Indian descent is an essential part of her identity and something that she will incorporate into her role as Vice President.
Paying tribute to Shirley Chisholm
Meanwhile, choosing this vibrant purple for her outfit was also a significant decision made by Harris. Purple was the color of congresswoman Shirley Chisholm’s campaign in 1972, when she became the first Black woman to run for President of the United States. As the first Black woman to run for President and also to be elected for Congress, Chisholm is a natural inspiration for Harris, as she makes history in a country that is only now starting to become a little more diverse in the political arena.
Remembering the suffragettes
Purple is also one of the colors associated with the suffragette activists of the early 20th century, who organized themselves to fight for women’s right to vote. As a believer of the importance of diversity in the United States’ democracy, Vice President Harris has honored the history of the suffrage movement on other occasions as well, like when she wore an all-white outfit on the night that hers and Joe Biden’s victory was declared back in November 2020.
Bringing the country together
Finally, the color of the Vice President’s outfit could be interpreted as the combination of red and blue, the colors of the two major parties in American politics, which are currently experiencing a time of extreme polarization after four years of former President Trump in power. By wearing purple, Harris is making a subtle, non-verbal statement of her intention to bring these two sides together and unite the country once again.
Of course, what the Vice President wears to the inauguration ceremony should not warrant so much attention, but Kamala Harris knew that whatever she wore would get everyone talking, so she chose her outfit accordingly and made sure that every inch of it was imbued with significance.
