Yahoo Finance Michelle Obama and Kamala Harris choose to wear same black designer for inauguration
Former U.S. President Barack Obama and wife Michelle Obama arrive for the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden
(Getty)Inauguration day is typically one in which the power players in American politics take to the stage in elegant formalwear from some of America’s most established luxury fashion designers.
For a member of the US political elite to wear an emerging label is unusual. For a lesser-known brand to be worn by not one but two of the ceremony’s heavy hitters is pretty much unheard of.
But 2021 is no ordinary year, and this inauguration day is not like any other, with everyone from Jill Biden to Kamala Harris championing lesser-known designers, and even Joe Biden breaking from tradition with his outfit choice.
And it is surely a day that LA-based womenswear designer Sergio Hudson will remember forever.
Not only did former FLOTUS Michelle Obama turn up in support of her good friends the Bidens wearing a raspberry-hued Sergio Hudson look, but the newly elected Vice President Kamala Harris also chose to wear a purple dress by the designer to accompany her violet coat by Christopher John Rogers.
It is significant that both women chose to champion the up-and-coming black American designer, who has also worked with Rihanna and Beyoncé, at such a pivotal moment in America’s history, and in a year when America has faced such socio-political upheaval as a result of the Black Lives Matter movement. The message is clear: this is an administration who will break from tradition, champion the underdogs and stand in support of black Americans.
Obama’s look consisted of a matching raspberry coat, polo neck and trousers, finished off with one of Hudson’s signature gold belts. She completed the outfit with a silk facemask by Christy Rilling and Stuart Weitzman shoes.
It’s not the first time she’s worn Hudson’s designs. Most recently she wore a violet belted suit from the brand in her Netflix documentary ‘Becoming.’ In fact Hudson, who launched his namesake ready-to-wear label back in 2014, took to Instagram two days ago to wish Obama a happy birthday with an image of her in the fabulous violet suit.
It wasn’t just through her clothes that Obama signalled change was afoot at the top, but also in a message she posted to Instagram today in which she said that: “After a disturbing era of chaos and division, we are entering the next chapter of American leadership with the inauguration of @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris. Right now, I’m feeling more than just relief at putting the past four years behind us. I’m feeling genuinely hopeful for what’s to come.”
Watch: The Best Inaugural Ball Gowns of All Time
