Usha Vance's Most Inappropriate Outfits Yet

Usha Vance, wife of JD Vance, vice president of the Trump administration, has never claimed to be a fashion plate. From what we can tell, the Yale graduate and former trial lawyer is more concerned about her family and her career than being on the cutting edge of style. But though Usha's wardrobe may not compare to Melania Trump's most expensive outfits, we've already seen a few spectacular, big-ticket pieces emerge since her husband took office. Usha's custom black velvet Oscar de la Renta dress for the Vice President's Dinner was a classically chic option, and her glittery Reem Acra gown for the Commander-in-Chief Ball evoked fireworks in the very best way.

However, it's taking time for Usha to find her sartorial voice as second lady. The road to the White House was littered with poorly thought-out campaign fashions, and she's still making occasionally odd selections as the administration gets underway. While Usha's style is certainly evolving before our very eyes, she's worn more than a few inappropriate outfits in the process — from looks so understated we can barely remember them to statement pieces debuted at just the wrong moment.

For candidates and their families, the point of a political rally is to drum up support by showing themselves in the best light. However, you wouldn't know it by Usha Vance's take on rally couture. For an Ohio campaign rally in July 2024, she skipped anything colorful, interesting, or memorable for stultifying neutrals. Vance's understated gray slacks and forgettable brown shoes were unremarkable enough, but the top was simply puzzling. First, the color: Was it gray? Cream? Beige? We don't know, and we frankly can't bring ourselves to care. There are ways to make a neutral color palette more interesting, but Vance didn't seem to employ any of them. Moreover, the boxy, T-shirt-like design didn't create any sparks with the addition of a belted waist. The whole ensemble screamed minimal effort, which wasn't the right energy to bring to an important campaign event.

Throughout her husband's campaign to become vice president, Usha Vance seemed to favor practicality over head-turning fashion. While we appreciate this pragmatism — and it certainly seems in-character for the level-headed lawyer — she occasionally veered into looks that felt too casual for the campaign trail. For instance, Vance's airy terracotta dress for a July 2024 visit to Minnesota screamed for a few refined accessories to elevate the look. And sure, one of their stops included a local diner, but Vance's strappy sandals felt a little too everyday for a planned public appearance.

You might have expected Usha Vance to cultivate a strong first impression when she arrived with her husband on the first day of the 2024 Republican National Convention, but her desaturated beige dress suggested otherwise. For one thing, this bland hue ignored the usually patriotic color palette preferred by candidates and their spouses — Vance evoked no Americana (or interest) with her absence of red, white, and blue. Moreover, beige did nothing to enliven the modest cut of the dress, which was appropriate but boring. Vance didn't even find success in her accessorizing, eschewing bracelets or necklaces that might have added elegance to the look, and opting for the same pair of befuddlingly plain brown flats she'd worn to the Ohio rally. Together, this styling all amounted to the opposite of a show-stopper on a night the Vances should have been courting media attention.

There's no official color theme for swearing in a new president, but Usha Vance stood out at Donald Trump's second inauguration by choosing pink instead of the dark colors favored by the rest of his contingent. Vance's powder-pink Oscar de la Renta coat, while very pretty on her, seemed jarring and overly attention-grabbing when standing with her more soberly dressed peers — Donald Trump, the first lady, the first kids, and even Vance's own husband were all wearing restrained shades like black and muted jewel tones. We don't know whether Vance was trying to make some statement by dressing differently, or if she just missed the memo that moody shades were the rule of the day. Either way, we could see how choosing to don such a vivid piece to someone else's big event might come across as inappropriate.

Ahead of St. Patrick's Day 2025, Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin visited Washington D.C. for a day of diplomatic festivities — including breakfast with the Vances. Appropriately, everyone donned a touch of green, but Usha Vance missed this easy win by trotting out in a heavily blue-leaning teal. In his speech at the event, JD Vance ribbed his wife, calling the breakfast "a really great opportunity for Usha to wear her pair of green pants. ... She's had these in the closet for years and finally gets to break them out" (via Forbes Breaking News). But while the slim-fit cigarette trousers suited the second lady, Usha once again stood out in group photos by not-quite nailing the emerald color brief.

On the upside, Usha's outfit was a lot more on-theme than the president's. Meeting the taoiseach later that day, Donald Trump was the only one in the room without a stitch of green in his ensemble, flaunting a red tie that had nothing to do with the occasion.

On March 4, 2025, Donald Trump addressed Congress for the first time during his second presidency. Usha Vance chose a beige suit for the formal speech, and while this sounds good in theory, her execution looked too playful for serious politicking. The main problem was the cut of the blazer, which featured ruched sleeves and a broad silhouette that felt closer to David Byrne of the Talking Heads than to timeless second-lady style. Oversized jackets have been coming in and out of fashion in recent years, but we're not sure Congress is the right place to play with the trend. Moreover, there are plenty of less distracting ways to finally nail business casual once and for all.