The Tamesis
From brooches to ball gowns, a first lady’s sartorial sense can speak volumes about her husband’s (or her own) politics and priorities. Michelle Obama wrote an entire book on the subject, and Melania Trump’s shift from European to local designers follows President Trump’s geopolitics. Yesterday, as New York ushered in 2026, the new First Lady of New York, Rama Duwaji, led the way with her own new take on first lady style.
So what does Duwaji have to say about fashion? Her two outfits – the first for a more intimate swearing-in ceremony held in an abandoned subway station just after midnight on January 1; The second – for a public inauguration and block party later that day – relied on her own authentic personal aesthetic and values, drawing on styles from vintage and independent designers. Most fashion pieces come with an often invisible annotation: “borrowed.”
Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, Duwaji’s stylist (and former global contributing editor) Fashion), noted in her own Substack that while Duwaji is not technically need As a stylist, she was appointed to help “translate her” into the fashion world. So Karefa-Johnson started doing what many stylists typically do for busy clients: rent and borrow from archives and buy from independent designers.
For the midnight ceremony, this included renting a vintage funnel-neck wool Balenciaga coat from Albright Fashion Library and sculptural gold vintage earrings from New York Vintage. She also borrowed a pair of wide-leg shorts from The Frankie Shop and pointed-toe lace-up Shelley boots from London brand Miista. For the public ceremony, Duaji wore a chocolate brown funnel-neck faux fur coat from the Renaissance by Cynthia Merhej, founder of the Palestinian-Lebanese brand, which was another personal political statement. (The coat is a custom reworking of a Fall 2023 piece.) Duvaj completed her outfit with a pair of lace-up coffee-brown boots and silver earrings. As Karefa-Johnson puts it, “regal in the most punk way.”
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
While the credits are interesting and full of meaning of their own, the simple statement that Duvaji’s work was “borrowed,” “borrowed,” and “rented” also tells a story.
“Rama’s choice to wear vintage earrings circa the 1980s is significant,” says New York Vintage founder Shannon Hoey. “By renting rather than buying, she not only gives new life to an archival piece, but also quietly expresses the importance of sustainability, circular fashion, and supporting small, independent businesses.”
