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Conventional wisdom advises dressing for the job you want, but does that still apply when the job you want is president of the United States? Among the many other ways in which the 2024 presidential race is unlike any other before it, both sides of the presidential ticket are answering this question in notably different ways—with Chloé suits and camo hats on one side, and a galleon’s worth of billowing navy worsted wool on the other. We reached out to our ever-growing roster of menswear experts for insights into how the candidates are using style to vie for the highest office in the land.
Kamala Harris
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a rally at the Dort Financial Center in Flint, Michigan during the 2024 presidential campaign, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (Photo by Dominic Gwinn / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by DOMINIC GWINN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)DOMINIC GWINN/Getty Images
TOPSHOT – US Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris walks to board Air Force Two as she departs for New York at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on October 7, 2024. (Photo by Evelyn Hockstein / POOL / AFP) (Photo by EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/Getty Images
A selection of bespoke Chloé pantsuits in muted colors accessorized with a pearl necklace (a subtle nod to her historically Black sorority) and occasionally a pair of black-and-white Converse All-Stars has helped Vice President Kamala Harris create a persona that’s businesslike but not bland. “The way she dresses and projects herself is subtle but powerful,” says Patricia Mears, the deputy director of the Museum at FIT in New York. “She looks right for the office, but you don’t dwell on what she’s wearing.”
Veteran menswear critic G. Bruce Boyer also commends Harris’s skill at walking the line between femininity and presidential gravitas. “I don’t think you’re ever going to see her wearing a dress, except on a very formal occasion where a gown is called for,” he says. “I think she wants to send a clear message that ‘I’m as tough as any of you guys are, and I came to do business.’ She’s not frilly at all.”
Donald Trump
JUNEAU, WISCONSIN – OCTOBER 06: Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump, arrives for a rally at Dodge County Airport on October 06, 2024 in Juneau, Wisconsin. The rally follows one yesterday where Trump addressed thousands of supporters near Butler, Pennsylvania, at the site where he was wounded by a gunshot on July 13. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)Scott Olson/Getty Images
FAYETTEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA – OCTOBER 04: Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump, speaks during a town hall-style campaign event at the Crown Center Arena October 4, 2024 in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The U.S. presidential election is less than 5 weeks away. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)Win McNamee/Getty Images
Former president Donald Trump’s wardrobe of billowy suits are as inseparable from his image as his red MAGA hat and his tan—for better or worse. “What can you say about the way Trump dresses?” Boyer muses. “Everybody tells me that he wears Brioni suits, but he doesn’t do Brioni proud. And the ties that come down to his knees…. I’m puzzled by how that works for him.”
At Martin Greenfield Clothiers, the Brooklyn-based tailor to presidents Clinton and Obama, second-generation owner Jay Greenfield is more diplomatic in his appraisal. “I think his look has improved subtly since he first came on the scene,” Greenfield says. “Previously, his suits were a little more oversized and the pants were pleated, and that’s probably what he was used to.” In recent years, however, Greenfield notes that Trump’s jackets have gotten slightly shorter, his pants a little trimmer, and the shoulders more fitted. “There’s been a slight migration, which is probably the right way to go about it: You don’t want to just all of a sudden show up as a different person. You’ve got to be comfortable in what you’re wearing.”
Tim Walz
Tim Walz, governor of Minnesota and Democratic vice-presidential nominee, during the first vice presidential debate at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York, US, on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. Historically, debates between the running mates of the major party nominees for president have a negligible effect on the contest for the White House, but with the race between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris being so close, any boost for either ticket could make all the difference. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesBloomberg/Getty Images
YORK, PENNSYLVANIA – OCTOBER 2: Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz takes the stage at a rally at York Exposition Center UPMC Arena on October 2, 2024 in York, Pennsylvania. Walz is holding a rally a day after debating Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
“He’s the most interesting guy [in the campaign] as far as image is concerned,” says Boyer, noting Minnesota governor Tim Walz’s preference for camo hats, buffalo plaid overshirts, and other Midwestern dadcore staples—a style that would easily look affected on anyone else. “There must have been a time when he was asked to think about getting rid of that and wearing more expensive suits, and he was smart to reject that idea.” Walz’s preference for leaning into his middle-aged Minnesota dad persona carries over to his dressier choices as well—like the dark navy suit and navy tie he wore to the recent VP debate, notes Mears. “I do think he’s figured out how to dress in a suit, but he never looks too polished,” she says. “He always still looks to me like that Midwestern high school teacher, and I think that’s perfect. He’s the VP pick, so I don’t think it’s necessary for him to dress for the top job.”
JD Vance
NEW YORK – OCTOBER 01: Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) participates in a debate at the CBS Broadcast Center on October 1, 2024 in New York City. This is expected to be the only vice presidential debate of the 2024 general election. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Senator JD Vance, a Republican from Ohio and Republican vice-presidential nominee, arrives for a campaign event with former US President Donald Trump, not pictured, at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, US, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. Republican nominee Donald Trump rallied supporters at the site of a July assassination attempt, returning to the Pennsylvania venue where a gunman’s bullet bloodied his ear and upended the presidential campaign. Photographer: Justin Merriman/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesBloomberg/Getty Images
Other than being the first major party nominee to wear facial hair in 75 years, Ohio senator JD Vance has done little to establish his own style on the campaign trail, aside from his choice of a textured pink tie for the recent VP debate. Instead, he’s adopted the standard Trumpian costume of conservatively cut navy suits (although, to his credit, he rarely wears the hat). What is interesting about Vance’s look, however, is how much it contrasts to his former wardrobe, a Silicon Valley–inspired mix of jeans, fitted blazers, and open-collared shirts. “That transition came around very quickly, and I think it tells you a great deal about Vance,” says Boyer. “He’s very attuned to sniffing the wind and following where it blows, and he’s not adverse to changing his opinion or his outfit.” To Mears, Vance’s recent adoption of the Trump uniform makes a notable counterpoint to Walz’s Midwestern authenticity. “I think he doesn’t quite know what to do with himself,” she says. “To me, he looks like a person in transition. Regardless of who wins the election, it will be interesting to see what he eventually becomes.”
