8 Usha Vance Looks That Meant More Than You Realized

Some outfits hold more meaning than others, and Usha Vance knows it. The second lady of the United States has not been in the public eye for long. However, she has already apparently caught wind of why some of the most important women in politics and beyond have used their clothing to convey deeper messages. Queen Elizabeth II was famous for using her jewelry to express her feelings on everything from policy to politicians. Carrying on the tradition, Kate Middleton has incorporated hidden messages into her own outfits as well. Even the late U.S. Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, used her brooches to communicate her diplomatic stances. Vance, it seems, is keen on following suit.

Indeed, since becoming second lady on January 20, 2025, Vance has made fashion choices that reflect the political stances that surround her. From the ultra-feminine dress she wore on inauguration day to the military green coat she donned in Greenland, Vance's clothing seemed steeped in secret meanings. The green pants she wore in the presence of Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin and the red dress that she wore to India, meanwhile, have even appeared to hold diplomatic significance. Formerly a lawyer who dressed up to go to work, Vance has now become an important figure in the Donald Trump administration — one whose clothing might be more important than many fans realize.

Usha Vance had a fascinating life before becoming second lady of the United States. Not only did Vance clerk for controversial Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, but she also went on to become a high-powered lawyer at an important San Francisco law firm. Because of this, Vance was often spotted wearing corporate attire like blouses and pantsuits before moving to Number One Observatory Circle. She actually made the news for her career-oriented fashion choices. After all, Vance was viewed as a powerhouse of a working woman rather than the demure wife of a conservative politician — and that made her stand out.

But, as soon as Donald Trump won his bid for reelection, everything changed. Vance needed to step into a new role as second lady, and this apparently required a makeover. Thus, on the day of the presidential and vice-presidential inaugurations, the newly-minted "SLOTUS" wore a popping pink outfit. During the actual ceremony, she wore a bubblegum Oscar de la Renta coat. Beneath it, she donned a dress of the same shade. This outfit choice marked her decision to step away from her own career and lean into her new public role. This dynamic was accentuated by Vance's appearance at an indoor inauguration parade. At the event, she walked down a red carpet with her two children in tow, her ensemble highlighting her traditionally feminine side by showing Vance as a mother clad in pink.

The presidential inauguration was just one of many times Usha Vance made a bold fashion statement. Leading up to the actual ceremony, Vance attended a candlelight dinner in a mauve off-the-shoulder gown that was a total show-stopper. Beyond the aesthetic of the garment, however, was its significance. Created by Indian designer Gaurav Gupta, the piece was largely interpreted as a recognition of Vance's Indian heritage. After all, her parents, Dr. Radhakrishna Chilukuri and Dr. Lakshmi Chilukuri, both immigrated to the United States from India before she was born. 

Usha Vance wore Gaurav Gupta, an Indian couturier, to the pre-inauguration candlelight dinner on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/eijXRk3kbK

— Vanessa Friedman (@VVFriedman) January 20, 2025

Although Vance ultimately grew up in California, she continues to place a lot of importance on her cultural heritage. As she revealed in a speech at the 2024 Republican National Convention, "My background is very different from JD's. I grew up in San Diego in a middle-class community with two loving parents — both immigrants from India — and a wonderful sister. That JD and I could meet at all, let alone fall in love and marry, is a testament to this great country." In a separate interview with Fox & Friends, Vance discussed the way that her parents' belief in Hinduism — a religion that originated in India — impacted her upbringing. "I did grow up in a religious household. My parents are Hindu, and that was one of the things that made them such good parents, that make them really very good people," she said.

In March 2025, Usha Vance accompanied her husband, JD Vance, to a special diplomatic breakfast with Ireland's Taoiseach — or prime minister — Micheál Martin and his wife, Mary Martin. On this occasion, Vance wore bright teal green pants that matched her husband's green tie. This style choice was clearly the second lady's way of expressing the significance of the meeting, as green is famously the national color of Ireland.

Interestingly, however, Vance's pants weren't the only symbolic part of her outfit. The second lady also wore a women's military blazer — complete with large buttons that lined both sides of the neckline. Beneath it, she wore a simple black turtle neck that made the coat pop. Given that the two political couples ate their meal at the Naval Observatory in Washington, DC, Vance's jacket could be seen as a nod to the United States Navy and all the work that they do. After all, the blazer in question was strikingly similar to the jackets worn by Civil Engineer Corps commanders at the turn of the century. In that sense, we see how Vance used her clothing to respect not only her international guests but also domestic armed forces.

If Usha Vance's military blazer was a nod to the Navy, the green coat that she donned in Greenland seemed more like a nod to the armed forced in general. Indeed, on March 28, 2025, Vance accompanied her husband on a trip to Kalaallit Nunaat. Although the second lady insisted that her international voyage was a friendly one — she even shared an Instagram video telling Greenlanders that she was looking forward to meeting the locals, many of whom did not see things that way. Given that the visit took place at a time when Donald Trump repeatedly expressed interest in buying the region, a lot of Greenlanders considered the visit a hostile one.

Thus, it was very telling that Vance chose to show up in Greenland wearing a military green parka with a bright red tag that read: Alpha Industries. Here, the shade of her attire is telling, as it very much resembles a soldier's uniform. To heighten tensions even further, Alpha Industries has a history of designing parkas for the United States military. Per the company's website, "The N-3B is the first jacket that Alpha Industries produced for the U.S. military. Just two months after the company was founded in 1959, the N-3B and the Navy shipboard shirt entered production." In this regard, Vance's clothing carried a powerful connotation to the armed forces and American military prowess.

Usha Vance is not a Catholic. And, as she revealed in a conversation with Meghan McCain on the podcast Citizen McCain, "I'm not intending to convert or anything like that." Despite this, Vance has been supportive of her husband's Catholic faith, even giving her children the chance to learn more about the religion. "We send our kids to Catholic school, and we have given them each the choice. They can choose whether they want to be baptized Catholic and then go through the whole step-by-step process with their classes in school," she added. The second lady went on to explain that she attends mass despite not belonging to the religion.

Given this connection to Catholicism, it was perhaps unsurprising that Vance showed up to the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV wearing deeply symbolic attire. Dressed from head to toe in black, Vance closely followed Vatican protocol surrounding women's attire. On her head, she wore a Spanish-style veil called a mantilla. This piece is meant to signify humility and modesty in the Pope's presence. With this tradition in mind, it is clear that Vance selected her outfit in hopes of respecting the new pope to the max.

On May 25 2025, the people all over the United States celebrated Memorial Day — though, few did so as stylishly as Usha Vance. Dressed in an all-white outfit, the second lady looked almost ethereal at a memorial service held at Arlington Cemetery in Virginia. Her long white coat dress and matching pearl earrings made her stand out among the mourners at the event, many of whom were dressed in black. She looked like the personification of the white lilies that she placed at the soldiers' graves, making the outfit perfect for the somber occasion.

Interestingly, though, Usha's outfit may have displayed more symbolism than first meets the eye. Her outfit could have also been a nod to the old protocol of never wearing white before Memorial Day. Although this social rule has changed in recent decades, its history stands as a reference to a time when fashion trends were dictated by old money East Coast families. While Usha has never explicitly supported those times, she has been lauded for helping her husband, JD Vance, fit in among the most privileged students at Yale University's law school. As one of their former classmates, Charles Tyler, told the BBC, "Usha was teaching JD about the subtler aspects about being at an elite institution. Usha was his guide throughout the process." Thus, it's possible that Vance is using her clothing to keep those traditions alive.

Following her trip to India in 2025, Usha Vance seemed ecstatic. "It was a great joy to visit India with my family and to experience this part of our heritage through their eyes," she wrote in the caption of a post on Instagram. "Thank you for the warm welcome, and looking forward to our next trip to this vibrant country!" But, if Vance couldn't stop talking about her trip, the Internet couldn't stop gushing about her clothes. The reason? The red-hot dress Usha Vance wore for her India trip didn't just look great, but it also might have held a secret meaning.

Vance's outfit contained a lot of symbolic value, as its deeply red color would have been perceived by many locals as a sign of celebration. As noted by the Indian publication Times Entertainment, the dress "felt like a meaningful nod to her roots, perfect for a moment of cultural homecoming." Adding even more significance to her clothing, Vance chose to pair her dress with a white blazer that was part of Indian designer Saloni Lodha's collection. The result was an ensemble that fully leaned into her parents' origins, placing her own heritage front and center.

It goes without saying that Usha Vance's life has changed since she became second lady. Whereas Vance's past wardrobe included some outdated outfits and a number of professional items, Vance's new clothing choices have to be perfectly planned to fit her new role. This was made clear in July 2025 when Vance went to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton to present her Summer Reading Challenge to military families. Dressed in a floral dress and a white cardigan, Vance looked like an old-timey school teacher rather than a high-powered lawyer. And, fascinatingly, modern career dress codes actually seem to support this.

A 2024 piece for job search site Indeed.com describes a teacher's dress code as anything involving skirts and dresses or slacks and blouses — with the caveat, of course, that skirts must fall below the knee to be considered appropriate. Based on the event photos that Vance shared on Instagram, she fits this protocol to a tee. Not only does the skirt of her dress fall nearly to the floor, but it also exudes a degree of teacherly authority. While this ensemble is a far-cry from what we imagine Vance wore to her law firm in San Francisco, we can certainly picture "The Magic School Bus'" Mrs. Frizzle in something similar. Ultimately, Vance likely chose this teacherly outfit to lean into the bookish theme of her reading challenge. We can't wait to see what other meaningful garments she wears in the future!