Kamala Harris wears purple outfit by two Black designers to historic inauguration

During an Inauguration Week packed with events, Vice President Kamala Harris stepped out in fashion that made a statement. On Inauguration Day, the new vice president wore a dress and jacket in a stunning purple hue both designed by Black designers.

Harris's outfit was designed by Christopher John Rogers and Sergio Hudson. Rogers is a young Black designer from Baton Rouge and Hudson is Black designer from South Carolina, CBS News' Tim Perry reports.

Rogers posted a photo of Harris in the vibrant look on his Instagram. "Thank you, Madam Vice President. We are so honored and humbled to have played a small part in this historic moment," he wrote.

On Tuesday, Harris wore a jacket by Pyer Moss, founded by Black designer Kerby Jean-Raymond. She donned the camel colored coat at the COVID-19 victims memorial at the National Mall alongside her husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, President Biden and first lady Jill Biden, where they paid her respects to the lives lost to the virus. 

The designers Harris wore are not only Black, but American. Her husband wore a suit by an American designer Ralph Lauren on Inauguration Day.

Mr. Biden also wore Ralph Lauren and Dr. Biden wore an ocean blue wool tweet coat and dress by emerging American designer Alexandra O'Neil of Markarian.

As guests arrived at the Capitol, it was apparent inauguration day would also be an event of high end fashion. 

Former first lady Michelle Obama entered in a monochrome outfit in a deep plum color, which was also designed by Hudson, according to People.

Many people, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, wore purple – a color of unity. Several also wore monochrome, including Jennifer Lopez, Mr. Biden's granddaughters and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who wore a blue coat over a white dress.

Ella Emhoff, Harris' stepdaughter, wowed in a plaid Miu Miu coat embellished with sparkling gems stylists Jill Lincoln and Jordan Johnson, who shared on Instagram that they styled both Ella and her brother, Cole.

Fashion reporters also identified Lady Gaga's gown as a Schiparelli design. The red, white and blue gown, which Gaga wore to sing the National Anthem, was embellished with a gold dove carrying an olive branch. "May we all make peace with each other," Gaga tweeted. Schiaparelli designer Daniel Roseberry posted about the gown on his Instagram stories.

Perhaps the dark horse of the fashion-forward inauguration was Bernie Sanders, whose mittens also got some attention. Sanders' signature mittens are made by Jen Ellis, a teacher from Essex Junction, Vermont, who makes the mittens from repurposed wool, local paper Seven Days reports.

During an interview on CBS News following the inauguration, "CBS This Morning" anchor Gayle King asked Sanders about his outfit. "I don't know if you've checked your Twitter feed, people have lots to say about your outfit today," she said. "Some say he looked like he was going to shovel snow, some say he looked like he was standing in line at the post office."

"People are loving your gloves. Do you want to talk to us about your attire today, what you had in mind?" King continued. 

"Well, you know, in Vermont, we dress warm — we know something about the cold, and we're not so concerned about good fashion, we want to keep warm, and that's what I did today," Sanders replied.

In:
• Kamala Harris
• Joe Biden 2021 Presidential Inauguration