A photo of Nancy Pelosi strutting out of the White House on Tuesday after an extremely tense meeting with President Trump, Vice-President Pence, and Senator Schumer, went viral, in part because of the stunning MaxMara coat she’s wearing, which can only be described as a lewk.
Director Barry Jenkins crafted an entire ode to the structured, knee-length, crisp, red coat via Twitter thread on Wednesday. “From the asymmetrical front to the high collar, strong yet unstrained shoulder and, of course, that COLOR — a deeply serene yet emphatic & ravishing color,” Jenkins wrote. “This look kicks soooo much ass.”
Jenkins wasn’t the only one to pour down the praises though. Vanessa Friedman of the New York Times wrote that “the coat whispered ‘burn’ with a wink and a swish. It also helped to transform her from a seemingly tired symbol of the establishment to one of well-dressed revolt.”
Within hours, the coat had not one, but two Twitter accounts dedicated to it’s existence: I Am Nancy Pelosi’s Red Coat and Nancy Pelosi’s Red Coat.
In addition to appreciation, people were clamoring to find out who the designer was. There was plenty of speculation, and eagerness for someone, anyone, to drop the link.
The coat is a MaxMara design from 2013, and it’s not Pelosi’s first time wearing it. She also wore it to Barack Obama’s second inauguration. The symbolism didn’t go unnoticed. Friedman wrote: “The choice this time around served as both a reminder of her longevity in the seats of power and a hint of exactly where her allegiance lies.”
The consensus among the garment’s admirers was that the decision for Pelosi to wear it was not happenstance. “And she knew exactly what she was doing wearing THIS coat on THIS day coming out of THAT room, placing THOSE shades on JUST so,” Jenkins wrote. “This is diplomacy in motion, soft power wielded like a machete through the diligent, decisive act of dressing. They’ve never been JUST clothes.”
Pelosi’s coat sent a message of strength, style, and composure in a time when the country’s leadership so often lacks those traits. In the meeting she had just exited, the three men she shared the room with showed varying levels of inefficacy: Trump … threatened to shut down the government, Pence stayed quiet, and Schumer matched Trumps yelling with a bit of hollering of his own.
“You develop an emotional relationship with a coat like nothing else in your wardrobe,” said Ian Griffiths, creative director of MaxMara, told the Times about the coat. “I can imagine why Ms. Pelosi chose to wear it for this important moment, and I’m honored.”
Following all the love, MaxMara announced that the coat will be re-released in 2019.
