'Ten Years Later, It Still Looks Good,' Obama Says of Controversial Beige Suit | Fashion

Ten years ago, Barack Obama made headlines for a strange reason. It wasn’t something the then-president of the United States said or did, but what he was wearing. On Aug. 28, 2014, Obama wore a beige suit to a White House press conference about the need to combat ISIS in Syria. A decade later, Kamala Harris also chose a suit in the same colors for the first day of the Democratic National Convention, and the former president found it funny to compare them. “How it started. How it’s going. 10 years later and it still looks good!” he wrote on social media Wednesday, commenting on a poster showing the two outfits and who was wearing them.

It’s rare to hear about what men wear, since they rarely venture beyond the classic navy or black suit, but Barack Obama’s decision to opt for a less conventional option to discuss a serious topic was particularly surprising. “I look like I’m on my way to a party in the Hamptons,” Republican Peter King quipped at the time. “Khaki is a bit of a fantasy color and a particularly odd choice for discussing military policy,” the fashion critic wrote. New York TimesVanessa Friedman.

So, in the face of criticism, the White House responded in a simple way to the controversy that has become known as “Suit Gate“He loves that fact.” Obama seems so unabashed by the criticism that in 2017, at his final press conference, he joked about it. “Let me start by saying that today I felt a strong urge to wear a beige suit,” he began. “But Michelle, who has a slightly better sense of fashion than I do, told me that was not appropriate in January.”

The subject seemed to have fallen into oblivion until Wednesday, when not only Obama but also CIA and White House adviser David Priess recalled the iconic event. “Ten years ago today: President Barack Obama appeared at a White House press conference in a beige suit. A beige suit. This was, and remains, the biggest scandal in the history of the presidency — if not the entire history of mankind,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Kamala Harris did not directly mention Obama’s beige suit at the Democratic convention, but the choice may have been an homage to her predecessor. The presidential candidate’s choices have also come under scrutiny throughout the campaign, with Harris often opting for full suits, which some interpret as an image of power.

The person responsible for Kamala Harris's beige suit was Chemena Kamali, who has been at the creative direction of French label Chloé since the end of last year, taking the brand beyond the bohemian style of the 70s with this adventure in tailoring.

The choice did not go unnoticed on social media. “She's wearing a beige suit. I can't stop laughing. So good,” one user commented. In fact, according to the brand's description, the color is not beige, but coconut.

During the presidential campaign, Barack Obama was at Kamala Harris’ side and was one of the speakers at the Democratic rally. He added, “We have an opportunity to elect someone who has spent his entire life trying to give people the same opportunities that America gave him. Someone who sees us and hears us, and who will stand up every day and fight for us.” America is ready for a new chapter. America is ready for a better story. We are ready for President Kamala Harris. And Kamala Harris is ready to take the leap.

Michelle Obama was also at the conference and nearly stole the show from the day’s heroine — and no, she wasn’t wearing a beige suit. “America, hope is back,” she declared. “To be honest, I realize that, until recently, I felt a sense of regret about the fading of that hope. And they probably felt the same way: that deep pit in my stomach, a palpable sense of fear about the future,” the former first lady said. “We can’t feed our fears about whether this country will elect someone like Kamala, instead of doing everything we can to elect someone like Kamala.”