Fashion
‘We Did It, Joe’: Kamala Harris’ Stepdaughter Ella Emhoff Designed Her Final DNC Dress With Viral Fashion Designer Joe Ando
Ella Emhoff’s look on the final night of the Democratic National Convention echoed her stepmother Kamala Harris’ famous words in 2020 after she and Joe Biden won the election: “We did it, Joe.”
The daughter of second gentleman Doug Emhoff left the comment on designer Joe Ando’s Instagram page on Thursday after appearing in one of their collaborative designs on the DNC stage in Chicago. She was a presenter alongside Harris’ goddaughter Helena Hudlin and niece Meena Harris.
The look featured a blue corseted top embellished with a rosette below the shoulder and a white pleated midi skirt. The waist was lined in tulle with scalloped edges. She accessorized with white socks and black Mary Jane flats.
“If you’re watching, it was a success,” Ando said on Instagram. “Ella crocheted the flower on the side of the arm.” He has 2.7 million followers on the platform and nearly 3 million on TikTok. Ando, who has described his aesthetic as a mix of prep and kitsch, added, recently revealed a dress he made for Keke Palmer using Google’s Pixel 9 and Gemini, and in February he designed a dress for Dakota Johnson during her press tour for “Madame Web.”
Preppy and kitsch are also fine descriptions for Emhoff’s style. On Monday, the designer-model attended the convention in Helmut Lang with a camo print hat emblazoned with “Harris-Walz” — merch that recently went viral. The next day, she attended in a checked navy Thom Browne armband blazer.
Emhoff is a graduate of Parsons School of Design and founder of Soft Hands, a company dedicated to fashion, design and creative consulting. She has also created a knit club to teach the art of knitting and often shares knit paintings on social media.
She first caught the fashion world’s attention in January 2021 after wearing Miu Miu at Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration. One month later, she signed with IMG Models Worldwide, the same agency that works with Gigi Hadid and Bella Hadid. Since then, she has modeled for Balenciaga and Adidas by Stella McCartney, and walked the runway for Miu Miu and Proenza Schouler.
The 2024 Democratic National Convention began on Monday and concluded on Thursday at United Center in Chicago. The program included speeches from former President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, President Joe Biden, New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Oprah Winfrey and more. Performers included Pink, John Legend, Mickey Guyton and Maren Morris, among others. Vice President Kamala Harris officially accepted her party’s nomination for President of the United States, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz accepted the nomination for Vice President of the United States.