On Saturday, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris joined a long list of women to use fashion as a political statement. In her victory speech after becoming America's first-ever female VP, she wore a head-to-toe white outfit that included a pantsuit by Carolina Herrera, a silk pussy-bow blouse by Tory Burch, and her signature pearl jewellery. (No, the fact that these are female-founded brands is probably not coincidental.) 

White has long been associated with the women's suffrage movement that began in the 1840s and aimed to grant women the right to vote (which didn't happen until 1920). Women would wear white dresses with white sashes in suffrage parades. White symbolized purity and they also wore purple to signify loyalty and gold to represent hope. It's also a particularly timely homage because 2020 is the 100th anniversary of women securing the right to vote. Scroll down to revisit some memorable nods to suffragette white. 

Our new VP-elect celebrated her historic win on Saturday night and certainly dressed the part. 

On Kamala Harris: Tory Burch blouse; Carolina Herrera pantsuit

In a sweet nod to the next generation of female leaders, VP-elect Kamala Harris's grandnieces both wore white outfits with adorable Dr. Martens boots for the victory speech on Saturday. 

For the State of the Union speech in February 2019, the Democratic Women's Working Group encouraged women of both parties to wear white to pay respects to the women's suffrage movement.

In January 2019, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wore a white pantsuit to be sworn in as the youngest congresswoman ever elected. She later explained her intent: "I wore white today in honor of the women who came before me, and the women yet to come," Ocasio-Cortez said. 

Hillary Clinton wore suffragette white when she became the first female presidential nominee for a major political party. 

Hillary Clinton also wore all-white to attend Donald Trump's Inauguration in 2017. 

Meghan Markle spoke to Gloria Steinem in August 2020 about the importance of women voting. It's perhaps no coincidence that she chose the color of the suffragette movement, including Anine Bing pants and a white tee. She also wore white for some of her biggest moments of all time, including the announcement of her engagement to Prince Harry and baby Archie's debut to the world. 

For the very first stop of her popular Becoming book tour in November 2018, Michelle Obama chose head-to-toe white. More of her memorable white outfits include her first Inaugural Ball dress by Jason Wu and a white Tom Ford gown for an event with Queen Elizabeth. 

Shop Female-Founded Brands

Next, Emily Ratajkowski wore the updated Ugg boots selling like crazy. 

If there's one thing we know, it's that the worlds of politics and fashion are very much alike. You're in one month and out the next, appearances are everything, competitiveness abounds and the general public has a distinctly love-hate relationship with both. History shows us that fashion is ruled by politics, and politics are inextricably linked to fashion.

One woman that knows this more than most is Hillary Clinton, first lady to Bill Clinton back in the '90s and subsequent Democratic presidential nominee. You can't deny that women in politics have it harder when it comes to dressing—they can't just throw on a suit and run a comb through their hair before making a big speech. But back in the day, Hillary knew how to put together a polished look, a set formula that got her through every public appearance.

Incidentally, Hillary's throwback outfit formula happens to be exactly what we want to be wearing right now: headbands, blazers, statement earrings and roll-neck knits. Clearly, the politician was ahead of her time. She even threw in a little tonal dressing—what could be more 2019? So if you're a tired of the repetitive nature of Instagram fashion, journey back with us to the '90s and discover new-season style inspo courtesy of America's former first lady.

Style Notes: Hillary's opted for muted tones in this checked blazer look, but the gold roll-neck and statement jewellery adds interest. Make this 2019-worthy with an oversized blazer and Gucci's logo earrings.

SHOP THE LOOK:

Style Notes: Before Blair Waldorf, Hillary was rocking the matchy-matchy headband look. A cardigan can be a tricky trend to pull off, but we reckon the below long-line style would look so good with tailored trousers and sneakers.

SHOP THE LOOK:

Style Notes: This power-suit ensemble could not be more '90s, but the teal, black and gold colour pairing actually feels quite 2019. We could totally imagine this tonal look appearing on the streets of fashion week this season.

SHOP THE LOOK:

Related: '90s Fashion Moments: 34 Memorable Trends We Still Love Today

Style Notes: Hot pink might say "Barbie," but when layered underneath a black blazer, it gets taken to new heights of chic. A great way to liven up your usual work suit.

SHOP THE LOOK:

Up Next: Janice From Friends Couldn't Be More 2018 in Her Style Choices

No matter what your political views may be, there's no denying the fact that Hillary Clinton's candidacy for president of the United States will be remembered as one of the most important moments in women's history. And it's safe to say that she will be on everyone's minds on March 8, aka International Women's Day. 

If there's anyone who knows the monumental impact that wearing a certain colour can have, it's Clinton. It's not a coincidence that she chose to almost exclusively wear bright, solid colours while on the campaign trail and in her years in the public eye leading up to the election—including her time as first lady.

The colours you choose to wear on International Women's Day, especially, will undoubtedly carry an unspoken meaning that's louder than words. (Remember when everyone in the world was talking about the meaning behind her decision to wear purple for her concession speech?)

Read on to learn more about five Hillary Clinton–approved colours that will make the most impact on March 8, and shop some of our favourite options in each hue.

Red is a colour that can't be ignored. It forces people to stop and pay attention. Clinton fittingly chose this strong, powerful hue for the first presidential debate in September. 

According to the National Woman's Party, "Purple is the colour of loyalty, constancy to purpose, unswerving steadfastness to a cause." It's also the colour of dignity and self-respect, and it signifies bipartisanship. All of these are likely reasons Clinton chose to wear it for her concession speech and in repeat past occasions. Not only that, but it was one of the three colours adopted by the suffragettes. 

Our Purple Picks:

Related: Revealed: The Best Colours to Wear for Your Skin Tone

The symbolism of wearing all white also harks back to the suffragette movement, when women were strongly encouraged to wear white. According to a quote in The Guardian by Valerie Steele, the director of the Museum at FIT, "White has connotations in the west of purity and virtue, this idea of being the good guy." Added Steele, "Certainly the suffragettes were aware of that when they wore white—they were good people too; why shouldn't they have the right to vote?"

Another signature colour of the suffragette movement was green, which Clinton has worn on multiple occasions. Green stands for hope, which is why Pantone chose it to be 2017's colour of the year. 

Remember those pink hats everyone wore to women's marches around the U.S. on January 21? The hue is unapologetically feminine and represents compassion and love. Clinton has chosen shocking pink on multiple occasions over the years, including for her most recent public appearance: a dedication ceremony for a series of stamps honoring Oscar de la Renta. 

Our Pink Picks:

See our guide on what colours to wear together this spring.

Opening Image: Getty 

When Hillary Clinton delivered her concession speech this morning, she urged the country to “never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it.” That message was reiterated in her clothing, as well. Even though fashion is perhaps not front of mind as we prepare to welcome a new era of American politics, this subtle—yet powerful—connection between what politicians wear and the messages they send was not lost on the fashion world.

Clinton was dressed in a black Ralph Lauren pantsuit with striking purple lapels and a shell top. The colour choice, often associated with royalty, was far beyond arbitrary. As many who weighed in on Twitter remarked (see here and here), purple is also a shade that’s created when red and blue, the signature colours of the Republican and Democratic parties, respectively, mix. With this is mind, Clinton's purple ensemble is suspected to be a symbol of bipartisanship and unity.

Going one step further, according to the National Woman’s Party, “Purple is the colour of loyalty, constancy to purpose, unswerving steadfastness to a cause.” It’s a description that instantly draws parallels to Clinton’s own dedication to her career and public service, something that even her opponent praised in his acceptance speech last night.

Of course, this is not the first time that Clinton has the public wondering about the intent behind her clothing—nor for Michelle Obama or Melania Trump—yet today's fashion choice helped drive home one very important message: We have a lot of work to do, and we all need to do it together.

Scroll down for a peek at Clinton's significant ensemble.

See the eight reasons why we'll miss Michelle Obama's style so much.