Amanda Gorman, Bernie Sanders, and Ella Emhoff on Inauguration Day
Photo-Illustration: Getty Images
While everyone else was (understandably) atwitter about Kamala Harris’s purple Christopher John Rogers dress-and-jacket duo and Michelle Obama’s Sergio Hudson belted jumpsuit, we — in true Strategist fashion — found ourselves obsessing over some of the lesser-discussed Inauguration Day accessories. How fast could we find baby Beau Biden’s itty-bitty plaid blazer, we wondered? Who was behind Cory Booker and Rosario Dawson’s indigo-dyed couple’s masks? And where in the world did Lady Gaga buy that massive bird brooch? Those answers and more, below.
As our friends at the Cut observed, Senator Bernie Sanders showed up “looking like a man who was preparing to shovel the driveway, a man who was standing in line at the post office, a man who was about to get into his Subaru Forester and head to the grocery store.” According to BuzzFeed News political reporter Ruby Cramer, the handmade mittens were gifted to Bernie by Vermont schoolteacher Jen Ellis, who uses repurposed wool sweaters and fleece made from recycled water bottles. (Ellis is now, unfortunately, fresh out of mittens.) – Dominique Pariso
Among all the masks worn at the inauguration, few were as nice-looking as the matching pair worn by Senator Cory Booker and Rosario Dawson. The couple donned blue batik masks from Studio 189, a line of made-in-Africa clothing and accessories founded by Dawson and Abrima Erwiah, a former executive at Bottega Veneta. Hand-dyed by local artisans in Ghana, the Lola mask has cotton straps for an adjustable fit and a filter pocket (two features we always like to see in a face mask). – Karen Adelson
The inauguration outfit coveted by everyone in Brooklyn: Today, Second Daughter Ella Emhoff ushered Gen-Z fashion into the White House in a Batsheva dress and plaid, crystal-emblazoned Miu Miu coat, which style writer Rachel Tashjian identified within minutes. Emhoff paired the coat — and its attached oversize collar — with all-black accessories, including a black surgical mask, a subtly textured black headband, and black leather gloves (we’d believe if you said she got them at the Frankie Shop, along with her now TikTok ubiquitous pinstripe suit). Until it sells out, you can buy a similar Miu Miu coat online, or, à la Emhoff’s own DIY sensibilities, just buy some sparkly baubles and affix them to a plaid coat yourself. – Kayla Levy
Inaugural poet Amanda Gorman wore a similarly excellent coat during her speech, but we (and much of the internet, it seems) couldn’t take our eyes off her bold red headband. When the camera flashed to her profile, we spotted the signature Prada triangle logo stitched into the side of the headband, confirming our suspicions. The bright-cherry headband can still be found on Farfetch; her coat, also Prada, is nearly sold out, while her earrings are apparently a gift from Oprah. – Chloe Anello
Inside the Capitol building yesterday, Lady Gaga, draped in a white, futuristic Givenchy cape, posted to Instagram her wish for peace on Inauguration Day. Today she wore that wish on her chest in the form of a golden dove carrying an olive branch.
Gaga’s fitted navy jacket and voluminous red silk skirt — both of which are custom Schiaparelli couture — represent the red and blue of the American flag, while her bleach-blonde braided updo looks to be inspired by Lady Liberty’s crown. But it was the golden Hunger Games–esque brooch (and her moving rendition of the national anthem) that caught our eye. While most lapel pins are tiny, modest salutes to a personal cause, this enormous, shining gold bird was a call to the nation to put the past four years behind us and focus on a brighter future. Or so we imagine. And while custom Schiaparelli pins are hard to come by if you’re not Lady Gaga, slightly less theatrical (and considerably less expensive) options abound. – Liza Corsillo
Twitter also went berserk over Baby Beau Biden’s impeccable outfit. The child wore an adorable bonnet and plaid jacket (and as others have noted, held a literal silver rattle). If you want the look for your own baby, we’re pretty certain that this bonnet from Feltman Brothers is the very one that BB was sporting. And it’s a very reasonable $23. As for the tartan coat, we haven’t been able to track down the exact one, but this wool tweed one from Janie and Jack looks rather similar (and is on sale for over 50 percent off). – Lauren Ro
Baby Biden wasn’t the only notable in plaid. Chasten Buttigieg’s rather dapper face mask impeccably matched his plaid scarf and tie. It appears that Chasten’s mask is made by J.Crew, which we’re basing off of two tweets, as well as the fact that the print and silhouette look fairly identical to this J.Crew mask we found being sold on Poshmark. J.Crew appears to no longer stock the style, but similar models can also be found at Etsy and Rowing Blazers. – Louis Cheslaw
For the past 24 hours, the footwear of Meena Harris (the VP’s niece) and her family has been making headlines — from the Marion Parke boots and (supposedly) baby Doc Martens that she and her daughters wore to Washington to the thigh-high Coach boots she debuted on TikTok yesterday. Today at the Capitol, she paired a satin Ulla Johnson dress and shearling-lined Coach coat with a pair of shiny Paris Texas boots. Harris’s husband, Nikolas Ajagu, also turned hypebeast heads on Twitter, when he showed up in a coveted pair of Dior 1s, from the fashion house’s Air Dior collaboration with Air Jordan. – Kayla Levy
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