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SCMP Series
Spring 2021 fashion issue: how the pandemic has shaped fashion
12 of 16
7
From Westwood to Yamamoto: how fashion designers changed the world
A model presents a creation by Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto during Paris Fashion Week, in March 2015. Photo: Reuters
8
Three takes on Coco Chanel, from the historical to the fictional
Gabrielle Chanel at work. Photo: Roger Schall
9
Chinese women were ‘all perfect models’ for one French fashion designer
Designer Jacques Esterel with model Bibelot at Kai Tak airport in 1968. Photo: SCMP
10
What women’s hairstyles said about China’s Qing dynasty
Imperial Consort Zhen (1876-1900), a concubine of the Guangxu Emperor, sports the hairstyle of the time. Photo: Getty Images
11
How tailors made ‘Matchee-Matchee’ the signature Hong Kong look
An illustration by Friedrich Schiff from the book Hong Kong, by Ellen Thorbecke. Photo: Handout
12
Why what Kamala Harris wears matters – it’s about more than fashion
Kamala Harris is sworn in as the 49th Vice President of the United States, in Washington, on January 20. Photo: AFP
13
Why Susie Bubble never dressed for boys, only ever for herself
Susanna Lau, aka Susie Bubble, dressed up at home. Photo: courtesy of Susanna Lau
14
In the gardens of Coco Chanel, Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent
Sissinghurst Castle Garden, in Kent, England. Photo: Getty Images
15
Dress Codes: a history of why we wear what we wear
Dr Martin Luther King Jr (fourth from left) marches in his Sunday best, in Alabama, in the United States, in the 1960s. Photo: AP
16
How a stylist tailored an outdated Singapore home for the 21st century
Interior stylist Priscilla Tan helped designer Ee-ling Fock unlock the full potential of the latter’s family home in Singapore. Photography: Joy de Vi. Styling: Priscilla Tan, STYLEDBYPT
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Kamala Harris is sworn in as the 49th Vice President of the United States, in Washington, on January 20. Photo: AFP
Opinion
Melissa Twigg
Melissa Twigg

Why what Kamala Harris wears matters – it’s about much more than fashion

  • Comment on the US vice president’s attire and you’ll be accused of sexism – after all, how much was said about Mike Pence’s suits?
  • But as the first woman to fill the role, Harris’ wardrobe is made up of more than the mere garments it contains
Melissa Twigg
Melissa Twigg
Why you can trust SCMP
Write about Kamala Harris’ fashion choices and be prepared for an angry Twitter mob to hammer at your virtual door. First you’ll be accused of being sexist – of sending women back to the 1950s and of thinking everything is about looks – and then you’ll be asked how many articles you’ve written on male politicians’ style. More than one fashion journalist has learned this the hard way.

These accusations are difficult to reply to and always leave me feeling guilty. I consider myself to be a feminist and of course I understand that what Harris does is infinitely more important than what she wears. But I’m not a political journalist so I can’t write about her speeches or her policies – turn to a different page of the newspaper for those articles. And yes, I am aware of the double standards: I never wrote a single sentence on Mike Pence’s suits, and I’m delighted that no editor ever asked me to.

But I have also never written about the fashion choices of Angela Merkel, Elizabeth Warren, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor or Nicola Sturgeon, despite the fact that all four are powerful women. I doubt any of them have been invited to be on the cover of Vogue – and if they have, they clearly said no. That is, of course, fine, but agreeing to be shot for the world’s fashion bible – as Harris did – means that you must be prepared to accept people analysing your style.
Harris on the cover of Vogue’s February issue. Photo: Handout

Male politicians have a strict uniform that they, by and large, stick to; female politicians do not. This is both a blessing and a curse, giving women far more scope to express themselves and a far longer rope with which to hang themselves. Many female leaders understandably respond by wearing identikit suits for every public outing.

Harris is not one of them. Over the past six months, we have seen her hone her previous wardrobe of skinny trousers and mismatched jackets into something more White House appropriate. Her Converse have been replaced by Manolos, and by wearing fashion labels like Pyer Moss, Sergio Hudson and Christopher John Rogers, she has elevated the work of black designers.

I loved the cream Carolina Herrera trouser suit with a pussy-bow blouse she wore to deliver a victory speech in Delaware back in November – white famously being the colour chosen by the Suffragettes. I also liked the regal purple she picked on Inauguration Day.

Harris wears a Carolina Herrera trouser suit to deliver a victory speech in Delaware, in November. Photo: Getty Images

But my favourite fashion fact about Harris is that she is rarely seen without a string of pearls in either black or white – an accessory she has been wearing for 35 years. Women around the world donned their own pearls on Inauguration Day as a symbol of support for her, and there was something wonderfully uplifting about that.

Perhaps that is why Harris’ appearance matters – it is a way of teaching young women of all ethnicities how to dress for success, and showing them that having fun with fashion need not detract from the importance of your work.


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