When Vice President Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance onstage at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, perhaps the even bigger surprise was her choice of color.
Was it brown, like the now-infamous brown suit worn by former President Barack Obama on August 28, 2014? Or beige? Or toffee? The internet wondered if it was toffee.
In the end, none of those colors seemed close to the Democratic presidential candidate’s heart: her oft-quoted and parodied line, “You think I fell from a coconut tree?”
The suit Harris wore Monday night was actually coconut brown.
Who designed Kamala Harris’ coconut brown pantsuit?
Internet sleuths quickly determined that Harris was wearing a Chloé wool “grain de poudre” double-breasted tailored jacket in the color coconut brown.
The outfit was designed by the French brand’s creative director, Xemna Kamali, who, according to W Magazine, has been making waves recently for her outfits for celebrity clients like Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez.
Harris’ Chloe outfit included a traditional suit jacket with black button lining and wide-leg dress pants in the same color as the jacket. Harris paired the suit with a white bowed blouse.
Harris has not commented on her outfit choice, but a rep for Khloe told The Washington Post that the coconut brown color of her outfit was pure coincidence.
Harris’ pantsuits are a hit online
While Harris’ outfit choice may have been coincidental, as Khloe’s rep suggested, the internet went crazy over the outfit and is convinced it was an Easter egg.
Obviously, this wouldn’t be a fashion commentary without a reference to Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) in The Devil Wears Prada, who famously gives Andrea (Anne Hathaway) a scathing crash course on color and fashion decisions.
Miranda says that when Andrea chose to wear “that chunky blue” sweater, she thought it was just blue. But it’s “not just blue, it’s not turquoise, it’s not lapis lazuli, it’s actually cerulean blue.” It’s easy to imagine Miranda substituting “coconut brown” for “tan.”
One user suggested Harris’s choice of clothing might be reminiscent of the brown suit worn by Obama nearly a decade ago, when some questioned whether the shade was professional enough for a senior official.
On Kamala Harris’ “coconut tree” line
The now infamous “coconut tree” meme was born on May 10, 2023, during a meeting of the President’s Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics.
“You think you fell from a coconut tree,” Harris said during the event, “and you exist within everything that you are living and everything that came before you.”
Harris previously said “it all depends on the context” and that her mother had severely reprimanded her before she uttered the phrase.
It’s unclear whether Miranda Priestly would approve of the shade.
Saman Shafiq is a featured news reporter for USA TODAY. Contact him at sshafiq@gannett.com. X and follow him on Instagram at @saman_shafiq7.
