Rama Duwaji’s First Lady Style and the Politics of Borrowing Fashion

From brooches to ballgowns, a first lady’s sartorial sensibilities can tell the story of her husband’s (or her own) politics and priorities. Michelle Obama wrote a whole book on the subject, and Melania Trump’s slide from European to homegrown designers has followed President Trump’s geopolitics. Yesterday, as New York heralded the beginning of 2026, Rama Duwaji—the new first lady of New York—took the lead with her own fresh take on first lady style.

So what did Duwaji’s fashion have to say? Her two outfits—the first, for a more intimate swearing-in ceremony at an abandoned subway station just after midnight on January 1; the second, for the public inauguration ceremony and block party later that day—leaned on her own authentic personal aesthetic and values, drawing from vintage and independent designers. Most of the fashion credits came with a typically unseen notation: “On loan.”

Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, Duwaji’s stylist (and a former global contributing editor to Vogue), noted in her own Substack that while Duwaji doesn’t technically need a stylist, she had been tapped to help “translate her” through fashion. So, Karefa-Johnson got to work at doing what many stylists usually do for a buzzy client: renting from archives, borrowing, and buying 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, lace-up Shelley boots from London-based brand Miista. For the public ceremony, Duwaji wore a chocolate brown funnel-neck, faux-fur trimmed coat from Renaissance Renaissance, designed by Palestinian-Lebanese label founder Cynthia Merhej—another personal, political statement. (The coat was a custom reworking of a piece from fall 2023.) Duwaji’s outfit was completed with a pair of laced-up coffee-brown boots and silver hoop earrings. “Regal in the punkest way,” as Karefa-Johnson put it.

While the credits are fun and full of their own meaning, the simple clarification that Duwaji’s pieces were “on loan,” “borrowed,” and “rented” also tells a story.

“Rama’s choice to wear vintage earrings, circa 1980s, was incredibly meaningful,” reflects Shannon Hoey, the founder of New York Vintage. “By renting, rather than purchasing, she not only gave new life to an archival piece, but also made a quiet statement about sustainability, circular fashion, and the importance of supporting small, independent businesses.”

“Miista has always been about doing things differently—we’re a woman-founded, independent designer brand built on craft, creativity, and collaboration,” shares Miista founder Laura Villasenin. “Our experimentation with product design, creating a shorter manufacturing supply chain, and our dedication to preserving and improving craft in Europe leads our day to day. Our aim is to be a brand that creates change, that challenges business-as-usual in the fashion industry. A Miista woman, like Rama, is someone who values the story behind what she wears, chooses pieces with intention, and supports independent making.”

It was important to Duwaji and Karefa-Johnson that both New Year’s Day looks reflected Duwaji authentically; she’s a lover of thrifting and shopping small, as well as fun silhouettes and textures, with an established identity, career, and her own values. Being explicit about renting and borrowing from the get-go doubles down on that spirit of authenticity.

As a way to preempt critics keen to criticize Duwaji for wearing high-end designer (her husband ran for mayor as a democratic socialist), identifying her looks as loans is also strategic. Think back to when frenzied tabloids broke down the prices of everything Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wore for her 2020 Vanity Fair cover story. The congresswoman did not buy those clothes, of course; she was styled in pieces on loan from brands, as is customary at major photo shoots. Vanity Fair’s fashion director, Nicole Chapoteau, also noted at the time that Rep. Ocasio-Cortez’s styling intentionally celebrated BIPOC, women, and LGBTQ+ designers to the rhythm of AOC’s own values. Those facts, however, quickly became lost in the discourse.

To be sure, there has already been furor over Duwaji’s outfits (including the borrowed boots, which retail for $630), but that’s to be expected. As a working artist—and a chic, 28-year-old woman—Duwaji was likely always going to challenge the first lady fashion mold.