Kamala Harris is currently leading the national race in several post-DNC polls. It doesn’t really matter – Democrats should and will operate like they’re down in the polls and remind voters to stay agitated and eager. One of the most interesting minor storylines from the DNC was, to me, the fact that Kamala Harris is not centering her ethnicity, race or gender in her campaign. Her DNC speech was about policy, prosecution, hope and promise, not about how she’s the first Black and Indian woman to be a presidential nominee. She’s even been disappointing the fashionistas who hoped for a bold statement suit for her big DNC speech. Many thought that Kamala would wear suffragette white, or maybe go with an interesting color. Instead, she wore a very sedate navy Chloe suit with a pussybow blouse. This sends a message too and it’s part of Harris’s particular image-making as a candidate. Well, Puck recently had a feature on Harris’s stylist Leslie Fremar, and the piece is also about running-as-a-woman:
By Thursday morning [during the DNC], the news that Leslie Fremar has been styling Kamala Harris was out and about. “Word on the street in New York City…” one friend texted. I asked another person, and they quickly confirmed: “She’s been doing it for a while and no one seems to know.”
But by Friday, everyone seemed to know. It certainly wasn’t a secret that Fremar was at the Democratic National Convention, in Chicago, where she made her presence known on Instagram. The Washington Post’s fashion writer Rachel Tashjian put a bow on the situation when she mentioned Fremar’s name in a column about Harris’s acceptance speech look. I reached out to Fremar, The Wall Group (her agency), and the Harris team for comment. A rep for The Wall Group, a part of WME Fashion, did not comment.
Politicians and other public figures are notoriously discreet about hiring stylists and personal shoppers, even though it’s practically a prerequisite in these very online times. (Harris has worked in the past with stylists, including Karla Welch.) People are photographed more frequently than ever, and those photographs are more accessible than ever. Of course you need to look decent under the microscope, so why not outsource that time-consuming process to someone else, especially someone with taste? “She needs to get dressed, and Leslie offered to help,” is how one source described their relationship. “Do we think this is important information?”
I would infer that Harris chose Fremar—who was recommended to her—because she is the definition of low-key. In fact, she has virtually retired from styling. Yes, she still has a couple long-term clients—Charlize Theron, the face of Dior, and Jennifer Connelly, a Louis Vuitton ambassador…but she still has a good reputation in both fashion and Hollywood, and now, the time to devote to Harris’s campaign.
…All that said, it’s imperative that Harris not look too Hollywood, or too fashion, and perhaps Fremar, who appears to be healthily skeptical of both, is the best person to take what Harris needs from those worlds without getting caught up in them. The decision to work with Chloé on these custom suits seems purely practical. They fit her, they look good, and they keep the attention on her face, which is where it needs to be. “It’s important that we, as a group of people, don’t do anything that insinuates that Kamala is elite or trying to be elite,” is how one source put it. That may be true, but in order to come off as normal, Harris must resort to some elitist behavior—like hiring a stylist.
Yeah, I had mixed feelings about even writing about this, but then I was like… this too is a pink tax, a tax on women alone. That a woman like Kamala Harris risks being called “elitist” because she cares about her presentation and wants help from someone knowledgeable and connected. Male politicians are never criticized for expensive suits or wearing expensive watches or caring about how they present themselves. I think it’s great that Harris is working with someone semi-retired and efficient at the job rather than a stylist who wants to make a name for themselves and do TV spots on the Today Show. The fashion story Candidate Kamala seems to be creating is that of boring but high-quality competence. And that’s fine! She will be president for everyone, the fashionistas and the girls who have a boring “uniform.” She’ll even look out for the citizens who eschew hard pants.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Backgrid.