Fan of Pearls and Converse Sneakers: Style of US First Female Vice President Kamala Harris

On 20 January, Kamala Harris will be sworn in as the first female vice president of the United States of America, thereby also marking the first time a woman of colour will assume the office of the second most important post in the country.

The world will definitely be watching Kamala Harris at the inauguration and well beyond, taking note of every tiny detail, from her timbre and manner of speaking to what she wears. All of these, including her sartorial choices, are seen as aspects that communicate messages, like what the new vice president stands for.

1 / 12

Former California Attorney General Kamala Harris has to date conveyed her messages with ease, preferring among other things well-tailored pantsuits, frequently coupled with a pearl necklace.

2 / 12

Then-California Attorney General Kamala Harris wears an elegant one-shoulder satin bodycon gown at Showtime's 2012 "EMMYEVE" Soiree held at Sunset Tower on 22 September 2012 in West Hollywood, California.

3 / 12

Monochromic outfits, like a smart black jacket atop a white shirt, are apparently no less favoured by Mrs Harris, and make a good casual wear for her.

4 / 12

There are certain signature style details that tend to project playfulness and self-confidence simultaneously – like, for instance, a blazer coupled with skinny jeans, a pair of Converse trainers… and a strand of pearls, which she wore at a campaign rally in Miami.

5 / 12

For the 45th NAACP Image Awards presented by TV One at Pasadena Civic Auditorium on 22 February 2014, Harris, California's attorney general at the time, wore a tight glitzy cocktail dress, adorned with sequins and complete with a sweetheart neckline.

6 / 12

The then San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris poses for a portrait in San Francisco on 18 June 2004, in a black suit, accentuated with a strand of white pearls and a white tee.

7 / 12

Attorney Douglas Emhoff (L) and California Attorney General Kamala Harris attend the 2015 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Graydon Carter at the Wallis Annenberg Centre for the Performing Arts on 22 February 2015 in Beverly Hills, California. Harris is donning a floor-length bodycon midnight blue and black gown, with a see-through waistline and upper part.

8 / 12

California Attorney General Kamala Harris tours the oil spill clean-up at Refugio State Beach, north of Goleta, Calif., on Thursday, 4 June 2015, wearing a signature pantsuit, stilettos, and a pearl necklace.

9 / 12

Harris’ pick of clothes for the election night was deemed as particularly symbolic by fashion magazines, as she chose to wear an off-white Carolina Herrera suit, ostensibly in a nod to the colour favoured by the Suffragettes as they advocated for the right to vote.

10 / 12

During day one of the Democratic National Convention at Time Warner Cable Arena on 4 September 2012 in Charlotte, North Carolina, then California Attorney General Kamala Harris is seen standing at the podium in a houndstooth-patterned skirt suit , teamed up with a pair of classic patent pumps.

11 / 12

Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., bumps elbows with first responders as she was briefed on the Creek Fire at Pine Ridge Elementary, Tuesday, 15 September 2020 in Auberry, Calif. Harris is seen wearing a casual jacket-jeans ensemble, complete with classic brown Timberland boots.

12 / 12

Then Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., arrives at the Common Man Restaurant for lunch in Concord, NH, Monday, 18 February 2019. She gets out of the car keeping the cold at bay in her dark grey overcoat, paired with much loved sneakers – white soles this time. A string of her often-worn black pearls is also seen on her neck.