In terms of personality and policy, Ms Kamala Harris (left) and Donald Trump are starkly contrasting figures. NEW YORK - In terms of personality and policy, Ms Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are starkly contrasting figures. Yet they’ve often had one thing in common: a silhouette that features powerfully padded shoulders.
For 150 years, the size of a suit jacket’s shoulder pad – which exists today as a small, simple, triangular shaped piece of material stuffed with wadding – has fluctuated in response to fashion trends. But in 2024’s election, the power shoulder has become a potent, multifaceted symbol. The complex history of the power shoulder means it can convey confidence, power and authority.
But it can also conjure swagger, playful subversion and an outsider’s defiance of an established order. For both candidates, this strong silhouette offers the opportunity to shape a defining image: for Trump, as a billionaire who positions himself as anti-establishment; for Ms Harris, as a formidable figure who more than belongs in a realm once reserved for men. That may seem like a lot of meaning to put on a pair of shoulder pads – but the power shoulder can bear it.
The semiotics of a square shoulder as a powerful silhouette has its roots in utilitarian clothing. Military uniforms have long used epaulets as a way to communicate rank. In Britain, tailoring houses such as H.
Huntsman & Sons and Gieves & Hawkes stuffed their equestrian, hunting and military attire with th.
