Kamala Harris made history Wednesday night, officially accepting the Democratic party’s vice presidential nomination. During the virtual Democratic National Convention, she gave a speech that introduced herself to the national stage; she spoke about her mother, being the child of immigrants, the legacy of Black politicians and activists who blazed a trail for her. Her clothes told part of her story, too.

The senator from California wore a burgundy double-breasted blazer and trousers that she accessorized with a pearl necklace. The look was no great departure from the conservative fashions usually associated with the world of politics—pantsuits and pearls have long been part of the vernacular. But the details spoke volumes.

White has become a popular color for women in politics in recent years, a way to pay homage to the women suffragists who often wore white while marching for the right to vote. To accept her presidential nomination in 2016, Hillary Clinton wore a white pantsuit. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wore the same style when she was sworn in as a freshman congresswoman in 2018, noting that she wore it to “honor the women who paved the path before me, and for all the women yet to come … From suffragettes to Shirley Chisholm.” During President Trump’s 2019 State of the Union, dozens of Democratic congresswomen wore white in solidarity with the women suffragists who came before them and as a way to send a powerful visual message to Trump.

It would have been fitting if Harris had chosen to wear the color, given that this week marked the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment, which secured women the right to vote. But Harris went with burgundy, distancing herself from that tradition.

Harris acknowledged the centennial milestone in her speech, “[W]e celebrate the women who fought for that right [to vote],” while noting, “so many of the Black women who helped secure that victory were still prohibited from voting, long after its ratification. But they were undeterred.” She called out the names of the women who came before her: “Mary Church Terrell and Mary McLeod Bethune. Fannie Lou Hamer and Diane Nash. Constance Baker Motley and Shirley Chisholm.”

Harris’s delicate pearl necklace, designed by fellow Californian Irene Neuwirth, was imbued with deeper meaning, too. She often wears pearls as a nod to the sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, that she was a part of at Howard University.

The first Black sorority, AKA was founded by a group of women who became known as the “Twenty Pearls.” To honor this history, new members are given a badge adorned with 20 pearls, which are symbolic of the sorority.

“Pearls represent refinement and wisdom,” Glenda Glover, international president of AKA, told Vanity Fair. “We train young ladies to be leaders and to make sure they have the wisdom to lead … and that goes hand in hand with the true meaning of what Alpha Kappa Alpha is all about.”

Harris has certainly lived up to this reputation. And on such a historic night, her ensemble emphasized who she is and what she stands for.

Originally posted on “VOGUE” by Barry Samaha.