By Skylar Mitchell ·Updated August 16, 2024
On August 19th, the 2024 Democratic National Convention will commence its historic week of events, signaling a shift in partisan power. All of this takes place against the backdrop of the Windy City, influencing the fashion choices of attendees, especially Black politicians and public figures who understand the impact of visual presentation. Chicago, which has long been a crucible for Black thought and cultural production, is bracing for a seismic moment in the nexus of policy, coalition-building, and styling across disciplines.
The speaker schedule is still being confirmed, but that does not halt the expectation for high-adrenaline moments soon taking place in the same iconic home arena of the Chicago Bulls. A similar fervor will be mirrored during the convention, where sportsmanship will take a different ideological and stylistic form. Every address and every vote cast will be a moment to demonstrate the directional tide of the Democratic party and the 2024 Presidential Election. Furthermore, the DNC will reflect a niche embodiment of Chicago’s rich legacy within the broader Black Renaissance.
For candidates and their affiliates, public opinion on fashion design and styling is not superficial but deeply connected to perceptions of credibility and electability. In the case of the 2024 Presidential Election, where Biden’s unprecedented decision to step aside has opened the door for a candidate with multiple “firsts” in identity, fashion will play a crucial role in shaping public perception. Often, DNC and RNC fashion moments are helmed by politics’ Jessica Wagstaff addresses this tension, noting its parallels with the contemporary moment. “In 2016, Hillary Clinton was heavily encouraged to update her look,” Wagstaff tells ESSENCE, “and she responded with beautifully constructed, albeit boring suits by Ralph Lauren.”
Writer and fashion analyst Jessica Wagstaff articulates this convergence of expectations, noting that Harris may already have a fashion profile capable of carrying her through this convention and beyond. Wagstaff tells ESSENCE, “I think {Vice President Harris} has an incredibly discernable fashion profile – as a matter of fact, I would argue she has a keen awareness of fashion and knows how to smartly employ it.”
A historic potential nominee for multiple reasons, Vice President Kamala Harris embodies a dynamic connection to diverse constituencies that comes across in her styling decisions. Wagstaff continues, “We have seen her swap out her customary pearls for the Tiffany & Co HardWear necklace, meant to signify the power of love; she routinely incorporates the pussy bow blouse with her suits as a nod to very recent feminist history; and she incorporates the Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars, which have an incredibly storied, quintessentially American story of their own. We determine authenticity through one’s >of a certain age.
As the nation gears up for a contentious election, the DNC will be a moment when fashion serves as both a personal and political statement. At the Republican National Convention (RNC), the fashion choices of women attendees and speakers were emblematic of the party’s increasingly covert cultural positioning towards domesticity and women’s roles. The post-2016 Trump Republican party takes on a blend of traditionalism with strategic nods to contemporary >white women who signal feminism’s obsolescence. The “cottage-core” styling trend popular with famous bloggers such as Ballerina Farm‘s Hannah Neeleman exists as these women’s aestheticized romanticism of the role of an absolved woman, buttressed by traditional gender roles, limited access to birth control, and an overall embrace of paternalistic interpretation of Biblo-Christian traditions. In her Substack, Wagstaff writes that the flowy, puff sleeve cottage core aesthetic gaining traction in the mainstream “tacitly supported a growing subculture of seductive simplicity, glorifying traditional white womanhood and American fundamentalism.”
The overall aesthetic at the RNC was a sharper, polished image of traditional femininity, which included tailored suits, high heels, and immaculate grooming. This more aspirational and controlled representation of women within a political context ultimately promoted the same pre-industrial life>growing focus on ethical fashion isn’t just a nod to the green revolution; it’s a deliberate balancing act that honors the sensibilities of an older, traditional voter base while steering clear of conspicuous consumption. Business-casual and smart-casual ensembles will likely dominate, characterized by sustainable fabrics that speak volumes without shouting—a sartorial nod to the urgency of environmental stewardship and the call for social equity.
TOPICS: #fashionnews black people in politics fashion in politics kamala harris dnc speech
The post Let’s Talk About It: What Fashion Insiders Expect From The Democratic National Convention appeared first on Essence.
