Kamala Harris Has Been Wearing Her Signature Accessory for 35 Years

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It was the news heard 'round the world: In November, Senator Kamala Harris made history as the first Black woman and the first South Asian woman to be elected as United States Vice President. Although she's already served as the San Francisco district attorney, the California attorney general, and a California senator, securing the White House now thrusts her into the brightest spotlight of her 30-year career.

And yes, that means more people will be paying attention to what she's wearing. As every avid fashion lover knows, you can be interested in a woman's style and her substance, not just one or the other. And with this mindset, I wanted to point out the one piece of jewelry that Harris has incorporated into nearly every outfit for public appearances for decades: pearl necklaces. Our first photographic evidence? Her 1986 college graduation photo. 

Harris has clearly made a deliberate choice to use pearls to craft a signature style—a uniform if you will. Not only does having a uniform make it easier to get dressed in the morning, but I believe it can also convey a sense of reliability and even loyalty. It's also worth pointing out that the pearls could be an homage to Harris's college sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha—the first African American Greek-letter sorority—where the founders are referred to as the Twenty Pearls. Any way you look at it, there's no doubt she intends to bring her pearls of wisdom to the White House, both literally and figuratively. Scroll down to see how she's worn them over 25 years. 

The Evolution of Kamala Harris's Signature Pearls

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2006
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2008
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2009
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2012
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2014
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2015
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2018
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2019
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2019
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2019
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2020

Shop Pearl Necklaces

Next, the top three prints of fall 2020 (beyond leopard).

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Associate Director, Fashion News

Erin got her start as a Who What Wear intern over 13 years ago—back when the site only published a single story per day. (Who What Wear has since increased that number twentyfold.) She graduated magna cum laude from USC, which is how she ended up moving to Los Angeles from her hometown of San Diego. In college, she also interned at Refinery29, where she was promoted to editorial assistant and then assistant editor. After nearly three years at R29, she came back to WWW in 2016, where she currently holds the title of Associate Director of Fashion News (as well as the unofficial title of resident royal expert—in case you haven't noticed her numerous Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton stories). She spends her days trying to incorporate her idols, Anna Wintour and Roger Federer, into as many stories as possible. Outside of work, she loves tennis, classic rock, traveling, and smothering her dog with affection.