Harris makes surprise post-election appearance with Met Gala debut
Former Vice President Harris made her debut at the Met Gala this year alongside former first gentleman Doug Emhoff, Vogue reported Monday.
Harris’s Met Gala look selection was custom-made by the clothing brand Off-White. A photo featured in Vogue's reporting on Harris’s attendance at the event shows the former vice president in a floor-length dress split between black and white at her right shoulder.
Harris’s selection of Off-White, a brand founded by legendary Black designer Virgil Alboh, is notable given this year’s Met Gala theme of exploring Black style through “Tailored for You.” This year’s gala is the first to specifically focus on Black designers.
Vogue has said that this year’s Met Gala theme looks through the tailoring of clothing when it comes to shaping Black identities, featuring a focus on the “emergence, significance, and proliferation of the Black dandy.”
“Art has always had a significant impact on not just culture, but also our policies and politics,” Harris told Vogue. “Artistic expression—whether it’s dance, music, visual arts, or fashion—has a way of capturing the mood and language of the people without words. Art has the power to shape the conversation about where we are today and where we need to go.”
Ibrahim Kamara, Off-White’s art and creative director, told Vogue in a statement that for him, “the true core of dandyism is rooted in confidence and strength.”
“There is no person who exemplifies these characteristics more than Kamala D. Harris, someone who has overcome adversity and continues to be a beacon for so many,” Kamara added.
“Kamala Harris stuns at the Met Gala,” the official account for the Democratic Party said in a post on the social platform X on Monday featuring the same photo of Harris as in the Vogue reporting.