Dress Codes: How the pussy-bow blouse became a political staple for Kamala Harris and other powerful women

Beloved by many female power players from Kamala Harris to Margaret Thatcher, the lavalière shirt is woven with history and symbolism.

“You do not lose your feminine qualities just because you are a prime minister,” Margaret Thatcher told British TV doctor Miriam Stoppard in a 1985 interview. “I often wear bows, they are rather softening … (and) rather pretty.” As the UK’s first female prime minister, Thatcher could be excused for conforming with her male peers and drawing as little attention to her gender as possible. But the so-called Iron Lady understood that politics is a careful dance between soft and hard power — and that clothes were tools that could cushion (even if only visually) the more abrasive sides of an 11-year term defined by conflict with trade unions, domestic power struggles and the Falklands war. Enter the pussy-bow. Though the term was popularized in the 20th century (“Fashion calls them ‘pussy-cat bows’ as they fluff out most femininely from high-rising necklines,” read a 1955 article in the Newburgh News), the idea of attaching bows to blouses or bodices is far older. Sometimes the flourish is called the Lavalière tie, after Duchess Louise de La Valliére — King Louis XIV’s “official” mistress. According to an account on the history of ties, the duchess was so taken by the king’s cravat that she fashioned one herself out of ribbon. The duchess could never have guessed that, three centuries later, a generation of professional women would be using her sartorial experiment in a myriad of ways to command respect and convey important — and sometimes nuanced — messages. Today, it’s a favorite of Vice President Kamala Harris, who has worn pussy-bow blouses throughout her presidential campaign: From the Democratic National Conference in August, to her televised presidential debate with Donald Trump and starry sit-down with Oprah in September. Most recently, she wore one during her “60 Minutes” interview with Bill Whitaker where she tackled questions about foreign policy, the economy and her gun — the sharp lines of her elegant, plum-hued suit softened by a blouse in the same color.