Kamala Harris Debuts a Black Power Suit for Her First Presidential Debate Against Donald Trump

kamala harris at the debate wearing a black suit

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 11 September 2024

Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign trail outfits have all been noteworthy, but the smartly tailored suiting she wore to debate former President Donald Trump on Tuesday, Sept. 10. was always going to be particularly significant. The black power suit and white pussy bow blouse with tonal stripes visually contrasted the cobalt blue suit and bright red tie worn by her opponent—a clever choice for a candidate looking to make history in more than one way. Vice President Harris was styled by Leslie Fremar, who she began working with at the start of her campaign.

Harris accessorized the look with her signature pearl stud earrings, gold bangle bracelets, and a couple of rings. Her hair was styled in polished waves while her makeup added soft definition for the camera with nude pink lipstick and brown eye shadow.

Kamala Harris wears a black suit at the first presidential debate — Kamala Harris chose a black power suit for the presidential debate.

Harris has a signature look, honed through years of working as a lawyer and politician. Since the launch of her presidential bid in July, however, Harris been taking strategic risks with her style on the campaign trail. The most obvious change has been a gradual expansion of her color palette to include brighter, lighter shades like powder blue and lilac alongside the office-friendly neutrals she generally favors.

kamala harris waving in a tan suit — Kamala Harris in Chloé on the first night of the Democratic Convention.

With her 2024 presidential run, Harris also seems to be doubling down on her commitment to spotlighting labels led by women and designers of color. In August, Harris opened and closed the Democratic National Convention wearing bespoke Chloé suits designed by newly appointed creative director Chemena Kamali. On night one, Harris confidently strode on stage sporting a "coconut brown" wool grain de poudre jacket, flared trousers, and a white crepe de chine lavallière blouse from the French label, in a possible homage to the tan suit Barack Obama wore during a 2014 press conference. On the fourth night of the convention, Harris eschewed suffragette white in favor of a second Chloé suit—this time in navy—and a coordinating pinstripe blouse to accept her party's nomination for president.

At press time, exact details about Vice President Harris's outfit were not available. The Marie Claire team will update this post with more information when it's available.

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Hanna Lustig is a staff writer at Marie Claire, where she gets to gab every day about the topics she holds most dear: fashion, beauty, and celebrity. Hanna’s editorial journey began with formative internships at Elle and InStyle, where she was lucky enough to work for some of the smartest women in media while she was still in college at the University of Tennessee. Hanna then accepted a digital culture reporting fellowship at Insider, where she helped carve out a new beat dedicated to covering influencers. Those experiences later served her well as a staff writer at Glamour, where she developed a knack for spinning quick turnaround celebrity news and trend reporting into juicy feature stories. Some of her greatest hits include an earnest ode to the no-pants trend, this meticulously reported feature exploring the rise of endoscopic facelifts, this snappy take on the Chanel-designed fantasy of Sofia Richie’s wedding, this tribute to WAGs past and present, and this timeline of Katie Holmes’s life and career as told through her denim collection.

Diane Keaton once hung up on Hanna during an interview, but thankfully that mishap did not derail what has otherwise been a deeply fulfilling career writing for and about women. As one of Marie Claire's resident experts on style and culture, her current coverage ranges from exploring TikTok's contrast makeup theory and the return of the boat shoe trend to interviews with costume designers for hit shows like Nobody Wants This and The Penguin. When she’s not at work, Hanna can probably be found listening to pop music, talking to her dog, and gossiping with her best friends. For more of Hanna’s perfect opinions on pop culture, you can follow her on Instagram and X.

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