In Honor of the Women at the Inauguration, an Ode to Power Coats

This outerwear will help you channel the first ladies, house speaker, and Madame Vice President who remind us what it means to be empowered.

In Honor of the Women at the Inauguration, an Ode to Power Coats

On December 11, 2018, Speaker Nancy Pelosi walked into the White House for what turned out to be a contentious, crazy (on 45’s part) meeting with Donald Trump, where they discussed his outrageous border wall funding requests. With Senator Chuck Schumer trailing behind her, Pelosi walked out looking like a total badass. She was captured leaving the West Wing wearing a sly smirk across her face, a bright orange coat from Max Mara, and a pair of classic round-rimmed shades, and in her wake, a million memes followed. “@NancyPelosi is wearing her Orange You Sorry You Started This Fight coat,” one person Tweeted. Another Tweet read, “Instructions on how to come for me: 1. Don’t.” The coat, which at the time was a couple of seasons old and unavailable to purchase, was reissued by Max Mara in March 2019.

A power coat, as Pelosi’s defiant, take-no-prisoners look reminded us, has long been a key wardrobe staple for many female politicians, especially during inaugurations. Supreme Court judges like the late, great Ruth Bader Ginsberg, First Ladies like Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, and Michelle Obama, as well as of course, Speaker Pelosi, have all worn their own versions of empowering outerwear to the passing of the torch from one president to the next. Clinton’s rose-colored, A-line coat that she wore to her husband’s second inauguration in 1997 was particularly memorable as it recalled the vibrant pink suit she wore to make a speech just two years earlier at the U.N.’s World Conference on Women in which she spoke her now-famous words: “Human rights are women's rights and women’s rights are human rights.” Michelle Obama’s bright, wildly fashionable design by Isabel Toledo for her husband’s first inauguration rang in a new era of approachable yet daring and contemporary fashion in the White House, and the effortlessly chic brown textured coat Ginsberg donned during Obama’s second inauguration in 2013 highlighted the dignified balance she always personified in life and on the bench. These women wore their own power coats and didn’t just stand next to their men, but stood out from them with grace and greatness.

Last night, during the emotional memorial for victims of Covid-19 at the Washington Monument, Dr. Jill Biden and Kamala Harris both wore youth-focused, modern versions of the traditional political power coat: Dr. Biden in a distinct purple design by Jonathan Cohen and Harris in a beautiful camel coat from Pyer Moss designer Kerby Jean-Raymond. And today, as Dr. Biden became First Lady and Kamala Harris became Vice President at the inauguration of President Joe Biden, the women once again showed their sense of duty, stability, and immense strength in two powerful designs: Dr. Biden wore a striking custom embellished dress and tweed turquoise coat from Markarian while Harris chose a sharp, deep purple dress and matching coat designed by Christopher John Rogers and accessorized, of course, with her signature strand of pearls.

While celebrating this historic moment, below are a few power coats to embrace this winter, in honor of all of the women in Washington that, both on inauguration day and not, remind us how to dress to be the most badass versions of ourselves.