5 Things Usha Vance Should Never Wear To Avoid Classic MAGA Beauty Blunders

Usha Vance's personal style is vastly different from that of her fellow Trump women, which is a welcome change. Just a few months into the second administration, the wife of Vice President J.D. Vance was already winning raves for her unassuming outfits and embrace of a more natural look. Unlike many of Usha's counterparts, who grew up wearing fancy labels, the Yale grad comes from a less ostentatious background and doesn't spend much time fussing with her appearance. As she explained to The Free Press, "I was working as a lawyer, and I had the wardrobe of a person with three children who likes to do things outdoors, who has a dog, who doesn't like things to be too precious." 

Then came the 2024 presidential elections, and suddenly, Usha was thrust into the spotlight without a personal stylist or any advisors to guide her on how a second lady should look. As a result, she had to rely on her own taste and common sense when it came to her personal style, and so far it's worked out quite well for her. As the second lady acknowledged, "People don't seem to care all that much what I look like." 

Still, there's always the risk that Usha might be tempted to blend in with the likes of First Lady Melania Trump, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Alina Habba, Kristi Noem, Kimberly Guilfoyle. It's hard to imagine Usha with the characteristic "Mar-a-Lago Face" and a crystal-embossed "Save America" handbag, but anything is possible. In particular, the lawyer should steer clear of the following style traps.

Do blondes really have more fun? Many of the women in President Trump's inner circle seem to think so. From White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt to first daughters Ivanka and Tiffany Trump, lightened-up locks are everywhere in the administration. It could be the influence of Florida living, or a desire to please the man who once proudly owned and ran beauty pageants, but the women in Trump-world insist on being golden girls, even when it doesn't really suit them. Attorney General Pam Bondi, seen here, is a perfect example. 

Her flaxen shade is jarring with her complexion, and a darker tone or even a light brunette could work on her. The List did a digital makeover to see what Ivanka would look like without blonde hair, and discovered that a warm medium brown color would be truly stunning on her too. Thankfully, Usha Vance has no desire to go Goldilocks on us. She literally chuckled when the Free Press suggested the second lady might blend in more with the other ladies if she changed her hair color. 

"I'm laughing, because it would be really hard for me to be blonde [...] that color would look totally absurd," Vance asserted. As a busy working mother of three, she also doesn't have much spare time for the lengthy color-stripping process required to lighten very dark hair enough to apply a blonde shade. Still, there's always a chance that Vance might be secretly experimenting with photo filters to see what a different color would look like before committing fully. 

There's a difference between looking professional and being frumpy. Fortunately, for the most part, Usha Vance has avoided crossing that line when she publicly appears in her capacity as the second lady of the United States, alongside her husband, Vice President JD Vance. Granted, Usha can't seem to quit her senior citizen sneakers when comfortable footwear are required (which we can all relate to, naturally), but her outfits are otherwise perfectly age-appropriate. 

In fact, she could give Karoline Leavitt a few style lessons. Seemingly in an attempt to present an image of maturity, Leavitt often dresses way older than her Gen-Z years would suggest. Sweater sets, heavy fabrics, dated details (Peter Pan collars, faux pockets), and too-loose fits add unnecessary years. Vance, who's more than a decade older, has yet to commit those fashion blunders so let's just hope Leavitt's taste doesn't rub off on her before the next presidential election.

Alongside steering clear of fussy Grandma outfits, Usha Vance should run — far, far away — from the infamous Kimberly Guilfoyle look. The former fiancée of Donald Trump Jr. is, like Usha, an attorney, and she once boasted a sleek wardrobe filled with sharp, courtroom-worthy suits. Nowadays, though, Guilfoyle often wears outdated outfits — micro-mini skirts with plunging necklines, and dresses featuring odd detailing — which make her seem too frivolous for the Mar-a-Lago society set. 

Worse, she somehow manages to choose the most inappropriate moments to look her cringiest. For her teen son's prom (seen here on the left), Guilfoyle dressed as though she were headed to a school dance herself... in 1986. Those puffed sleeves and sparkle bodice bows are straight out of the Brat Pack era. Then there's the dress that Don Jr.'s ex chose to promote a picture book she wrote in 2024. 

Apparently, it's horrifying for a drag queen to read Dr. Seuss to kids in a library, but a children's author in boudoir attire is no big deal. We're not saying that JD Vance would leave his wife if she donned attention-grabbing getups like these. But considering Don Jr. reportedly ditched Guilfoyle for his alleged mistress for the humiliating reason that she didn't dress chic enough, Usha might take this as a cautionary tale.

Another unfortunate trait shared by certain prominent MAGA women is their need to seem just like regular folks when they're out among their constituents — and failing miserably. Usha Vance, take note: Visiting disaster sites is great; doing it in immaculate new sweaters and tailored jeans, as Ivanka Trump did, is wince-inducing. When you're dishing out trays of mac 'n' cheese to displaced families, it's best not to look like you can't wait to get back to your six-figure home with a steak dinner waiting on the table. The first daughter also has a tendency to appropriate the style of the regions she visits.

For the 2025 Stagecoach Festival, Ivanka wore a skin-baring crocheted cowgirl getup which only proved how much of a New Yorker she is. Usha Vance, on the other hand, stuck to comfortable skirts and dresses during a trip to India, in May 2025, though she could just as easily have donned a sari to show pride in her Indian heritage. Vance should also resist any temptation to dress in any kind of uniform when visiting first responders and other official protectors. Kristi Noem is definitely the biggest offender in this area. 

The Trump-appointed director of Homeland Security has already donned hats, bulletproof vests, firefighter turnout gear, and various other accoutrements during her time in office. Unfortunately, her "I'm getting tough on crime" message loses much of its punch because she makes these rounds with a full face of makeup and perfectly curled hair extensions. Noem even wore a five-figure Rolex to pose in front of an El Salvadoran prison cell full of deported immigrants. Vance isn't one to display showy jewelry even on formal occasions, so hopefully she'll continue to keep it simple.

As Clairee Belcher famously quipped in "Steel Magnolias," the only thing separating us from the animals is our ability to accessorize. But catty accessories are another matter altogether. Usha Vance would be wise to keep her closet clear of the tacky MAGA gear that Alina Habba so often sports at rallies and elsewhere. Donald Trump's controversial attorney, whom he appointed interim U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey in March 2025, often dresses as if she's a fangirl at the RNC rather than a bonafide presidential cabinet member. 

Habba once posted a video on Instagram of herself wearing a rather NSFW Trump baseball cap at Newark Airport, apparently just to rile up those crazy libs. She also loves showing off her blinged-out Trump clutch bags, even though some of them are already outdated. For instance, she flaunted her "FJB" purse on New Year's Eve 2024, long after Joe Biden had exited the presidential race and his replacement Kamala Harris had been defeated. 

Another such offender is Lara Trump, wife of the president's son Eric Trump. Her branded collection of workout gear includes a line called "MAGA Red," with plenty of garish items featuring huge "USA" logos. Vance undoubtedly takes pride in her country, but hopefully she can show it in subtler ways.