Forget the nation’s suit. Washington’s dress code is changing, one oath at a time.
On Thursday, Deb Haaland made history when he started his job as secretary of the interior, becoming the first Native American member of the cabinet. And she did not do it with the recent uniform of many politirati women – the fruit-colored suit – but with traditional indigenous clothes.
Standing at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to Vice President Kamala Harris to take the oath of office, Mrs. Haaland wore a dark jacket over a sky-blue ribbon skirt embroidered with butterfly images, stars and corn; moccasin boots; a turquoise and silver belt and a necklace; and dragonfly earrings.
Against the flags and dark wood, the former Democratic congressman from New Mexico stood out, her clothes telegraphing a declaration of celebration and of herself in a ceremonial moment that will be preserved for registration. It was symbolic in more ways than one.
According to an Instagram post by Reecreeations, the company that made the skirt for Ms. Haaland’s oath, the ribbon skirt is a reminder of “matriarchal power”: “Wearing it these days is an act of self – strengthening and recovering who we are and giving us the opportunity to proudly make bold statements in front of other people who sometimes refuse to see us. This allows us to be authentic without remorse ”.
This is yet another break from the Trump administration’s four years, when the West Wing aesthetic could best be described as “Fox’s wardrobe department, the DC version.” Think of a sheath or wrap dress in primary color, high heels, Breck hair and lots of false eyelashes.
And more broadly, it is a break with the prevailing wisdom about the feminine dress in the halls of power, which dictated security in a dark suit – with perhaps the occasional red pop jacket. The goal was to look like the majority (male) who ruled; be a business woman and play the role of the institution. No longer.
Wearing traditional dress became a kind of Haaland signature during great public moments. In 2016, she wore a classic pueblo dress and jewelry at the Democratic National Convention; in 2019, when she took office as one of the first Native American members of Congress, she did the same, including a red woven belt over a century old. And in January, in President Biden’s possession, she also wore a ribbon skirt, one in sun yellow, with a burgundy blouse and boots.
As she said to Emily’s List on her first day in Congress: “I just felt like I should represent my people. I thought that would make some people proud out there. “
In fact, when Ms. Haaland posted a photo of you at the opening on her Instagram feed (she has 124,000 followers), she was liked more than 45,000 times, with many comments applauding her costume. Not to diminish his achievements, the prosecution often addressed comments about a policy’s wardrobe choices, but to emphasize them.
Likewise, after a video made by her daughter Mrs. Haaland preparing for her oath began circulating online on Thursday, users applauded. “Get out of ribbon, loafers, loose hair – Deb Haaland inviting all ancestors to his oath ceremony,” he tweeted a user.
Sherlyn Ifill, the president of the NAACP Legal and Educational Defense Fund, called this “my spiritual elevation for the day”.
Haaland is not the first or the only political woman to wear clothes to express identity in moments of guaranteed public scrutiny, but she is part of a new generation of women in Washington who are increasingly, and intentionally, individual in their choices.
Michigan Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, for example, used a traditional Palestinian thobe in her oath, and Ilhan Omar, Minnesota’s Democratic representative, became the first woman to wear a hijab in Congress when she was elected in 2019.
And while Vice President Harris has largely embraced what appears to be a sea of dark-trouser suits for her everyday professional life, the fashion choices she made during the inauguration, focused on the work of young independent color designers, suggest that she is more than aware of how carefully calibrated images can resonate in the viewer – and is more than ready to deploy this tool with calculated accuracy.
As Harris said after Haaland’s oath, “history is being made once again.” It is appropriate to dress for this.