Look of the Week: Megan Thee Stallion and Kamala Harris serve the power pantsuit two ways

Two suits, two women, one message: “Hotties for Harris.” At least that was the phrase scrawled across banners at Kamala Harris’ first campaign rally in Atlanta.

Two suits, two women, one message: “Hotties for Harris.” At least that was the phrase scrawled across banners at Kamala Harris’ campaign rally in Atlanta Tuesday night. The event — part of Harris’s bid to secure the Democratic presidential nomination — was headlined with a performance from rapper Megan Thee Stallion, 29, whose fans nickname themselves “hotties,” after the chart-topping 2019 track “Hot Girl Summer.” The three-time Grammy winner arrived on stage to perform in a pair of second-skin cobalt flares, a matching cropped blazer and tie by designer Abdul Sall. Underneath, her white collared shirt was similarly slashed at the midriff, exposing her gleaming belly button stud. Minutes later, Harris walked onto her podium to rapturous applause — also in a blue pantsuit. Considering Megan’s typical stage wear features thong leotards and sheer catsuits, it doesn’t take a seasoned fashion critic to pick up on the sartorial message. At first glance they might have been twinned; two women from very different corners, at the top of their respective careers, defining power dressing on their own terms. (Harris did, however, adopt some of Megan’s swagger with her challenge to Donald Trump to debate her: “If you have something to say, say it to my face.”) The choreographed spectacle was a continuation of the Harris team’s modus operandi: Meeting the Gen Z voters where they are. From being endorsed by Charli XCX and co-opting the album of the summer, “Brat,” to capitalizing on the 32.3 million-strong fandom of Megan Thee Stallion, her advisors have been honing in on the 18-27 demographic. But how do you capture the attention of younger voters without alienating your core audience?