Many thought the Democratic presidential candidate wore the suit as a nod to Barack Obama’s now infamous tan suit that he wore almost exactly a decade ago. As it turns out, Harris’ suit was coconut brown.
Kamala Harris surprises on the first evening of the DNC: “We are making progress”
Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris delivered a surprise speech on the opening night of the Democratic National Convention.
When Vice President Kamala Harris appeared surprisingly early on stage at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, her choice of color was perhaps an even bigger surprise.
Was it tan, like former President Barack Obama’s now infamous tan suit on August 28, 2014? Or was it beige? Or toffee? Maybe it was toffee, the internet wondered.
It turns out it wasn’t one of those colors, but a color that is perhaps even more dear to the Democratic presidential candidate, given her oft-quoted and parodied line: “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?”
The suit Harris wore on Monday night was actually coconut brown.
Who designed Kamala Harris’ coconut brown pantsuit?
Internet sleuths quickly discovered that Harris was wearing a tailored, double-breasted jacket made of Chloé’s Grain de Poudre wool and that the color was coconut brown.
The outfit was designed by the French brand’s creative director, Chemena Kamali, who, according to W Magazine, has recently been making waves with her outfits and celebrity clients such as Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez.
Harris’ Chloé outfit consisted of a traditional suit jacket lined with black buttons and wide suit trousers in the same colour as the jacket. Harris paired her suit with a white blouse with a bow.
While Harris has not commented on her outfit choice, a spokesperson for Chloé told the Washington Post that the coconut brown color of the outfit was purely coincidental.
The Internet loves Harris’ pantsuit
Harris’ choice of outfit may have been a coincidence, as the Chloé representative suggested, but the internet can’t get enough of the outfit and is convinced that it is an Easter egg.
Of course, this wouldn’t be a commentary on fashion without a reference to Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) from The Devil Wears Prada, who gave Andrea (Anne Hathaway) a famous crash course on colors and the way fashion is decided.
Miranda says that when Andrea picked out “that chunky blue” sweater to wear, she thought it was just blue. But “it’s not just blue, it’s not turquoise, it’s not lapis lazuli, it’s actually sky blue.” You can just as easily imagine Miranda replacing “tan” with “coconut brown.”
One user suggested that Harris’ choice of outfit may have been a reference to the tan suit Obama wore almost exactly ten years ago, when some people questioned whether the shade was professional enough for the high office.
More about Kamala Harris’ “coconut tree” line
The now infamous “coconut tree” meme originated on May 10, 2023, during the meeting of the President’s Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics.
“You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” Harris remarked during the event. “You exist in the context of everything you live in and everything that came before you.”
Harris had previously spoken about how “everything is in context” and how her mother always gave her a hard time before she uttered the sentence.
It is unclear whether Miranda Priestly would approve of the shade.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
