Rama Duwaji Doubles Up on Trench Coats for Her First NYFW as NYC's First Lady

A studded bag and sleek black boots completed her outfit.

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Rama Duwaji attends the Diotima fashion show as part of RTW Fall 2026 on February 15, 2026 in New York, New York
(Image credit: Gilbert Flores/WWD via Getty Images)

Even before New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was voted in, his wife Rama Duwaji—a freelance animator and illustrator—was commanding the world's attention. Importantly, Duwaji's fashion choices have spoken volumes since day one. Her appearance at Diotima's show at fashion week—which also marks her first time attending as New York City's First Lady—is no exception.

For her appearance at Diotima's show, Duwaji—who is styled by Gabriella Karefa-Johnson—layered two trench coats. Firstly, she wore a classic short khaki trench coat as a dress, buttoned right to the top. She wore another trench coat, this time knee-length and plaid, over the top, confirming that the celeb-beloved trend is most definitely back for 2026.

Duwaji accessorized her trench coat duo with black heeled cowboy boots and a black leather bag featuring an oversize buckle clasp and a studded strap. For jewelry, the first lady opted for two pairs of gold hoop earrings—large thin hoops and small thick hoops.

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Rama Duwaji attends the Diotima fashion show as part of RTW Fall 2026 on February 15, 2026 in New York, New York

Rama Duwaji attends the Diotima fashion show on February 15, 2026.

(Image credit: Gilbert Flores/WWD via Getty Images)

Back in September 2025, Duwaji attended Diotima's very first runway show, after being personally invited by designer and founder Rachel Scott. As Scott told The New York Times, "I was intrigued by her work and personal style, so having her at the show was really exciting." Judging by Duwaji's appearance at the label's second show, it seems as though the admiration is mutual.

Rama Duwaji attends the Diotima fashion show as part of RTW Fall 2026 on February 15, 2026 in New York, New York

Rama Duwaji sits front row with Joan Smalls at the Diotima RTW Fall 2026 fashion show on February 15, 2026.

(Image credit: Gilbert Flores/WWD via Getty Images)

To date, Duwaji's intentional fashion choices have garnered much attention. For instance, when Mamdani delivered his victory speech on November 4, 2025, Duwaji wore a laser-cut denim top from Zeid Hijazi, a Palestinian-Jordanian designer based in London.

At her husband's public inauguration on January 1, 2026, the illustrator opted for a brown funnel-neck coat, which she styled as a dress, from Palestinian-Lebanese designer Cynthia Merhej's label Renaissance Renaissance. The same day, New York's first lady also wore a pair of boots from sustainability-focused, London-based shoemaker Miista.

Basically, Duwaji's relationship with the fashion world as the first lady of New York is going to be seriously exciting.

Shop Outfits Inspired by Rama Duwaji

Amy Mackelden
Amy Mackelden
Weekend Editor

Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.