After four years, America is finally rid of its most divisive president. The world had witnessed a battering of that country’s global reputation and saw the reality of what it is at its core – a deeply divided nation.
Like most people, I was glued to my television playing close attention to the inauguration but mostly taking in the stark differences of the sartorial choices of the incoming political administration as compared with the outgoing one.
It was a gentle visual reminder that optics do really matter particularly in the midst of a global pandemic that America has failed miserably at managing. It matters in setting the tone of how you want to be perceived. It goes without saying that the sartorial choices of the Trumps echoed a tacky out-of-touch aesthetic. Whether it was the distracting red tie often worn by Donald Trump, Melania’s towering Manolo Blahnik Heels to board a plane to visit victims of a hurricane, or her ‘I Don’t Really Care, Do You’ Zara jacket worn to visit migrant children locked up in cages, it was clear they did not want to be in touch with reality. And as trivial as many would like to make them seem, our fashion choices are a direct reflection of our values and identity. It was never a coincidence either as their choices spilled over to harmful and divided policies.
This is why the tasteful, dutiful and dignified clothing choices of Dr Jill Biden, President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff stood out sharply. While both men opted for well fitted suits from the established American designer Ralph Lauren, Dr Biden and VP Harris made it clear to designers submitting their samples that neither wanted to make a fashion statement. I supposed they knew Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez would fill that role and they did in Schiaparelli and Chanel. Perhaps it was a gentle reminder that they want less unnecessary attention and more focus placed on the hurdles that lie ahead of them.
Both women chose smaller American labels and with each designer carrying a unique story. VP Harris’s two-piece ensemble was by 27-year-old Christopher John Rogers who was named American Emerging Designer of the year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America and Sergio Hudson while Dr Biden’s powder-blue sparkly coat and dress were by Alexandra O’Neil whose business model is based on made to order to eliminate wastage. Even with subtle silhouettes and kitten heels the values were positively glaring. The colour palette too shouldn’t be ignored as the common theme by Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton and VP Harris seemed to be a purplish violet, which is actually the middle ground between red (Republican) and blue (Democrat) perhaps signalling the desperate need for differences to be put aside.
Staying clear of colours and warm in a Parka and knitted mittens, Bernie Sanders, however, in my opinion, was the truest representation of what it meant to be absolutely exhausted by the last four years and completely over the charade.
While we wait to see if there will be a disconnect later on, without a doubt I will not miss the narcissistic peacocking and the calculated swaying of the last administration. Intentional soft diplomacy is back!
