There were no frills. No jewel tones or sunshine shades. No florals.
When Michelle Obama returned to the campaign trail for the first time since her speech at the Democratic National Convention in August, appearing at a rally for Vice President Kamala Harris in Kalamazoo, Mich., she did so in a straightforward trouser suit, the better to provide a frame for her straightforward words about the stakes of the election, especially as they relate to women’s bodies.
Black crepe with a small tortoiseshell print, the pantsuit is among the simplest looks Mrs. Obama has worn in her post-White House life, in which her style on book tours and at big events has been marked by a discernible experimentation and sense of fun: Balenciaga “pantaboots,” Versace safety pins. Not this time. This time, the suit was even simpler than the one she wore at the DNC.
Given the former first lady’s understanding of the role clothing plays in moments of great public attention, and her understanding of the attention paid to her own clothing at pretty much any given moment, that choice could not have been an accident. As she said in her speech, the promise of joy Ms. Harris offers is one thing, but there is also work to be done. She was dressed to do it.
The suit was from Theory, a label that has become a uniform for many working women as they climb the executive ranks, and that has grown into a behemoth. (It is now owned by Fast Retailing, the group that owns Uniqlo; the blazer that Mrs. Obama wore is currently on sale for $256.80). As such, it was less a fashion statement than a statement of solidarity — with the women in the room and with Ms. Harris herself.
With her suit, Mrs. Obama wore a simple shell top and small earrings, her hair in a waist-length braid. It seemed as if she wanted nothing to distract from a speech that dealt with topics rarely broached in the political arena — puberty, menopause — so she wore something often seen in the political arena. Camouflage comes in all sorts of forms. Her words might have foregrounded gender, but her clothes did not, much as Ms Harris’s campaign has not.
The neutral pantsuit is Ms. Harris’s uniform, one she has worn throughout her career and during the campaign. The colors of Mrs. Obama’s suit — black and tan — match two of the colors Ms. Harris often wears. (One notable occurrence: during the DNC, when her tan suit sent the internet into a tizzy over its possible connection to Barack Obama’s controversial tan suit.) Indeed, at the Michigan rally, the vice president wore one of her camel suits, and when the two women embraced onstage, they made a perfectly coordinated picture.
Pointedly, Mrs. Obama’s appearance in a suit followed Beyoncé’s appearance at a Harris rally in Texas in a double-breasted black suit dress, and Kelly Rowland’s in a striped pantsuit and tie. Each of them buttoned up, girded for battle.
It was probably a coincidence, but a telling one. With (yes) the freedom to choose what they wanted to wear, they chose a suit, the armor women have historically adopted to telegraph seriousness, toughness and their fight to break into a traditionally man’s world. A garment that can be understood clearly, even in an enormous stadium.
In the final leg of the presidential race, it said, as much as any verbal endorsement, “I am on this team.” No slogan tee necessary.
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