Kamala Harris' 2024 DNC Day 1 Outfit Is Bold Nod To Obama's Most Controversial Fashion Choice

The 2024 Democratic National Convention is off to an exciting start, thanks to a successful first night and a very important fashion choice. To some, the tan suit that Vice President Kamala Harris sported on the first day of the DNC seemed like a simple, understated ensemble. Yet, anyone who remembers former President Barack Obama's tan suit controversy surely knew right away that there was meaning behind the presidential hopeful's fashion statement.

Back in 2014, Obama held a serious news conference, regarding how the U.S. military intended to handle the conflict with ISIS in Syria. A media firestorm ensued as a result, but it wasn't the content of Obama's speech that had folks talking. It was his tan suit. Critics claimed the unique suit color was less serious than the more typical dark suit. Fox News host Lou Dobbs went so far to call it "un-presidential," per CNN.

These days, it's difficult to imagine a time when people viewed the president's suit color as the most important takeaway from a news conference. Yet, Obama received more than his fair share of vitriol from folks with opposite political views during his time in office. By wearing a tan suit at the DNC, it seems that Harris is ready to face her haters head-on. As comedian John Fugelsang put it on X, formerly known as Twitter, " I knew Kamala Harris was going to make a surprise appearance – I never would've guessed she'd trigger all the right people by wearing a tan suit."

As of this writing, Kamala Harris hasn't confirmed if her suit color of choice on DNC Day 1 was a nod to Barack Obama, or a sign of bravery in the fight against the other side. Yet, like so much of the U.S., Harris and her team surely know how much power a tan suit can have. According to CNN, Obama's tan suit sparked headlines, like "Yes We Tan!" in reference to his slogan, "Yes We Can" and "The Audacity of Taupe," a play on his 2006 memoir, "The Audacity of Hope." Harris sported her own version of the controversial ensemble — a simple Chloé suit — a week shy of the 10-year anniversary of Obama's tan suit moment. And, while a decade has passed, Harris' outfit showed the world: "Yes we can," again.

A tan suit-clad Harris arrived on the DNC stage as "Freedom" by Beyoncé played — a power move in itself, since just a week prior, Celine Dion issued a statement condemning Donald Trump for his strange choice to use her song, "My Heart Will Go On" at his rally without her permission. Less than 24 hours after Harris' powerful DNC entrance, one X-user had already earned 35,000 likes by noting that Harris' reference to the ghost of tan suits past was no accident. The tweet read, "She's not wearing a tan suit by accident... Women understand fashion, women in politics understand it times 100." And, now a second tan suit may have made American history.