The Morning: Political fashion

Plus, Israel and Hezbollah, immigration and skateboarding moms.

View in browser|nytimes.com August 25, 2024 Good morning. Today, my colleague Vanessa Friedman explains the deliberate choices behind politicians' convention outfits. We're also covering Israel and Hezbollah, immigration and skateboarding moms. —David Leonhardt Kent Nishimura for The New York Times Party attire By Vanessa Friedman I'm The Times's chief fashion critic. Every time discussions of fashion intrude on discussions of politics, as they do in moments of high pageantry such as our national party conventions, a certain amount of freaking out ensues. Sexist!, the lament generally goes. Superficial! (That's the nice version.) But here's the thing: There's a reason we refer to "the national stage" and the "theater of politics." Costume is an intrinsic part of any drama, for both the stars and the supporting cast. It is woven into the creation and communication of character. We make instant judgments about one another based on the images we see. It's human instinct and part of how we decide if someone is likable or believable or a leader, as political figures of all genders, from Castro to Cleopatra, have always been aware. To not acknowledge that our candidates consider how style connects to substance is to give them less credit than they are due. After all, no one can fill every moment with policy proposals. But they can always look the part. Here are seven politicians who did it most notably during the Republican and Democratic conventions. Erin Schaff/The New York Times Kamala Harris: For the biggest, most consequential speech of her life, Harris accepted her nomination as the Democratic candidate for president not in white, but in navy blue. That's a bigger symbolic statement than it may at first appear. Since 2016, when Hillary Clinton strode onstage in her white Ralph Lauren, assuming the mantle of the women who had fought for a political voice before her, the white pantsuit has become a political trope, a way for women (Democratic and otherwise) to demonstrate solidarity and signal their opposition to Donald Trump and his policies. By making a different choice, Harris may have brought that particular historical chapter to a close. As she said in her speech, it was time "to chart a new way forward" — and she dressed the part. Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times JD Vance: On the last day of the Republican convention, the vice-presidential nominee telegraphed the fact that he was on the same page as his running mate by adopting Trump's signature uniform of red tie, white shirt and blue suit — though he stuck with his beard, an accessory that breaks all the rules of modern politics. There hasn't been a candidate with facial hair on a major party presidential ticket in 75 years. Still, his scruff matches the beard worn by Donald Trump Jr., and it speaks to clichés of he-man frontiersmanship that reflect Vance's more traditional approach to gender roles. Maddie McGarvey for The New York Times Melania Trump: The former first lady made a rare public appearance to stand by her husband's side at the R.N.C., and she made it count in a red Dior suit that she had previously worn on a 2017 state trip to Paris. It was an implicit nod to the period when the Trumps occupied the White House, and a reminder, like the virtual White House projected behind Trump as he made his speech, of their goal. Ruth Fremson/The New York Times Tim Walz: Pretty much from the moment Harris chose him as her running mate, the narrative around the Minnesota governor has focused on his regular guy cred, as represented by his penchant for plaid shirts, Carhartt, Filson and other costumes of regular guy-hood. When he took the stage to accept the nomination for vice president, however, Walz did so in an impeccably tailored navy suit, blue tie and pristine white shirt — the uniform of the D.C. establishment. It sent a message that his character didn't just play on the campaign trail, but in the corridors of power. Maddie McGarvey for The New York Times Michelle Obama: The former first lady has always understood that if the spotlight is going to be thrust upon her, she might as well use every photon available to her own ends, including those focused on what she wears. So as she spoke in support of Harris, she did so in a pantsuit — but not a traditional political woman's pantsuit. Her pantsuit, by the small independent New York brand Monse, featured a sleeveless jacket that had been de- and reconstructed, so the lapels crossed over the throat in an almost futuristic, militaristic way. This election is going to be a fight, her tunic and her speech suggested, and everyone should gear themselves up to get out the vote. Maddie McGarvey for The New York Times Nikki Haley: The former Trump opponent was a surprise presence onstage at the R.N.C., but her very wardrobe was a form of outreach. If she didn't have an olive branch, exactly, on her dress (which happened to be by the same designer, Teri Jon, who had made the "fancy-but-not-so-fancy" dress she wore during her campaign), it did feature a veritable bouquet of red and blue blooms. Eric Lee/The New York Times Andy Beshear: The governor of Kentucky was the rare (very rare) male politician to speak at the D.N.C. and eschew a tie. The decision may have been an effort to signal his status as a next-gen Democrat, though the fact that he wore a high-collared white shirt buttoned almost to the neck, and also buttoned his blue suit jacket while onstage, somewhat undercut the hipster-casual vibe he seemed to be going for. THE LATEST NEWS Middle East A view of southern Lebanon. Aziz Taher/Reuters Israel bombarded dozens of targets in southern Lebanon in what it called a pre-emptive strike against Hezbollah and said it thwarted a major attack. Benjamin Netanyahu said that "thousands of rockets" aimed at the country had been destroyed. Hezbollah said that it had fired more than 320 rockets at Israeli bases and positions. It was not immediately clear if any of the rockets had hit their targets. The exchange fell short of the major escalation many have feared after an Israeli airstrike killed a Hezbollah commander. See a timeline of recent tensions in the region. With concerns rising about a potential wider war in the region, the U.S. has steadily been moving Navy forces closer to the area. More International News Poets have fueled a literary revival in Ukraine by capturing people's feelings about the war. The German police made a third arrest and said they had ended the search for a suspect in connection with a deadly knife attack at a street festival in the western city of Solingen. Two vehicles parked outside a synagogue exploded in a French town in what prosecutors called an act of terrorism. Politics The number of people asking for haven has fallen in the months since President Biden imposed asylum restrictions at the U.S.-Mexico border, Department of Homeland Security figures show. The Democrats' message on immigration has become more hard-line than it has been in decades, a reflection of the party's political vulnerability on the issue. JD Vance became Catholic in part because he was drawn to the church's desire to instill virtue in modern society. Read about how he found his way to the church. Other Big Stories The astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. NASA HANDOUT/EPA, via Shutterstock NASA has decided that two astronauts who have already spent months aboard the International Space Station will have to stay there until next year, saying that they could not return on a troubled Boeing space vehicle. Developers and landlords of subsidized housing say that rising property insurance costs could put them out of business. THE SUNDAY DEBATE Did Harris's convention address make a strong case for her candidacy? No. Harris's speech was more about introducing herself and distinguishing herself from Trump than about what she was going to do when she is president. "Unremarkability is a virtue Harris will sell," Keith Naughton writes for The Hill. Yes. Harris's speech, confident and grounded in values, transformed her into someone who should be America's next commander in chief. "Her rhetoric captured both the best of being a storyteller telling a tale about people and the role of being a leader calling a nation to rise up," The Daily Beast's David Rothkopf writes. FROM OPINION Alex Edelman lost his friend and collaborator shortly before their comedy show opened on Broadway. After a successful run, a tour and an HBO special, he looks back on what his friend missed. Here are columns by Nicholas Kristof on Republicans' anti-family policies and Maureen Dowd on Trump. Subscribe Today The Morning highlights a small portion of the journalism that The New York Times offers. To access all of it, become a subscriber with this introductory offer. MORNING READS At the skatepark.  Josh Katz for The New York Times Falls and all: These moms have found community in skateboarding. Conservation: Scientists made a list of birds that have not been seen in at least a decade. They want you to help find them. Routine: How a children's museum director spends her Sundays. Vows: "The Fake Grey Lady" has her own love story to tell. Lives Lived: Hettie Jones was a poet and author who, along with her husband, LeRoi Jones, made her household a hub for Beat writers and other artists. She died at 90. THE INTERVIEW Jenna Ortega Devin Oktar Yalkin for The New York Times By Lulu Garcia-Navarro This week's subject for The Interview is Jenna Ortega, who is starring in the new movie, "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice," the sequel to Tim Burton's 1988 classic. Ortega started her career as a child actor, playing the lead on the Disney Channel series "Stuck in the Middle." But it was the role of Wednesday on the Netflix show of the same name that changed her life in significant, and disorienting, ways. We spoke about what it's like to get so famous so fast. You wrote a book when you were 17, and in it you talk about insecurities and mental-health challenges. You're 21 now. I'm wondering since your career blew up, does that make things easier or harder? Much, much harder. Really? Yes, of course. Because I've always been someone who's put an immense amount of pressure on myself, but it's a bit different when you can't really walk outside without expecting to be pointed at or — it's kind of died down now, but still, I walk into a room, and I am looking at everything differently. I was a private person, and I prefer to be a private person, so I think understanding that there's a lot more eyes and a lot more people watching — and I'm so underdeveloped! My prefrontal cortex isn't even fully there yet, technically, you know? I want to be making the mistakes and learning from them and falling on my face and maybe the opposite. I want to be extremely confident and try everything and do everything and be the biggest risk taker in the world. There's a lot more at stake now, whether I like it or not, and people are entirely entitled to share their opinion, even when maybe it's not the most welcome, but I think it's just — sorry, I'm trying to think of the best way to phrase this or put this in a way that is still refreshing — Just say it in the way that you feel it. It's really scary, actually. And it's hard to say that because mostly you can't complain. I wanted this when I was a child. I live such a privileged life. I'm so lucky to do the things that I do. I love my job. I don't see myself wanting to stop my job. There are certain things that no one can really prepare you for, though, and that kind of attention is one of them. Read more of the interview here. THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE Painting by Alan Coulson. Source photograph by Kelia Anne MacCluskey. Click the cover image above to read this week's magazine. BOOKS Jeremie Souteyrat for The New York Times Grammar time: In Britain, MC Grammar's rhymes have made reading all the rage among young people. Our editors' picks: "The Coin," a smart novel about a Palestinian schoolteacher in New York and American consumerism, and five other books. Times best sellers: Anna Marie Tendler's memoir, "Men Have Called Her Crazy," is new on the hardcover nonfiction list. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Pack a school lunch your kid will actually eat. Prepare for a hurricane with these supplies. Declutter your email inbox. THE WEEK AHEAD What to Watch For Proceedings are set to begin tomorrow to decide if the Kroger Company can acquire Albertsons. It would be the largest supermarket merger in U.S. history. The Paralympics opening ceremony is on Wednesday. The Venice International Film Festival begins on Wednesday. Friday is the deadline for Trump and his prosecutors to assess how presidential immunity affects his election interference case. Meal Plan Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Eugene Jho. In this week's Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter, Mia Leimkuhler hails the affordability, availability and versatility of chicken. She suggests recipes she often makes herself, including sheet-pan paprika chicken, panang curry and a chicken and egg rice bowl. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today's Spelling Bee. Yesterday's pangram was companion. Can you put eight historical events — including the creation of the Taj Mahal, Michelangelo's David, and bungee jumping — in chronological order? Take this week's Flashback quiz. And here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. Correction: Yesterday's edition of The Morning mistakenly omitted the byline. The newsletter was written by Melissa Kirsch, our usual Saturday writer. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. 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