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Louise Thomas
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Ella Emhoff stole the show on the final night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention when she wore a dress custom made by one of TikTok’s favorite designers.
The stepdaughter of US vice president Kamala Harris delivered a speech at the DNC in Chicago, Illinois, on Thursday. Emhoff, 25, spoke on stage alongside the vice president’s niece, Meena Harris, and Helena Hudlin, the VP’s goddaughter. While Emhoff shared a heartwarming story about Harris’s relationship with her father, Doug Emhoff, it was her bespoke dress that caught the attention of the internet.
Emhoff – who’s been affectionately nicknamed the “First Daughter of Bushwick” – wore a baby blue and white drop-waist dress. The bodice featured an asymmetric, off-the-shoulder neckline, while the white, pleated midi skirt included was lined in tulle at the waist. She accessorized the look with Gen Z’s beloved styling of black Mary Jane flats over white socks.
What’s more, Emhoff crafted her scene-stealing dress with the help of actor and internet personality, Joe Ando. The fashion designer has gone viral on TikTok in recent years, with nearly three million followers, known for his signature question: “Can I make you a dress?” Since then, he’s designed looks for the likes of Dakota Johnson, Keke Palmer, Millie Bobby Brown, Rachel Zegler, and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan.
Ando began to tease his collaboration with Emhoff leading up to her appearance at the DNC. On August 20, he posted a video on TikTok with a mannequin wearing the dress tucked inside a garment bag. “Finished a dress you’ll see on national TV in three days,” Ando wrote over the clip.
The following day, he shared a TikTok with Emoff, who was faced away from the camera, as he filmed himself showing the model what fabric he’ll be using for the dress. “Picking out fabrics for a historic event,” the on-screen text read, as Ando captioned the post: “The dress is HAPPENING.”
When Emhoff finally appeared at the DNC on Thursday wearing the finished product, Ando recorded his reaction to seeing their creation broadcasted on live television. He filmed himself watching Emhoff on stage at the DNC, as he cheered for the Parsons School of Design graduate from his apartment.
“Watching a dress you made on national TV,” Ando said in another TikTok.
The internet seemed to be captivated by Emhoff’s custom made dress, as many people took to social media to fawn over the drop-waist ensemble.
On X, formerly Twitter, one user declared: “Ella Emhoff is going to be a fashion icon.”
Meanwhile on TikTok, another fan commented under Ando’s post: “I saw the dress and gasped, it is so gorgeous and perfect for her. Congratulations!”
“That dress is everything!” another TikToker wrote, while someone else said: “Omg I was wondering where that dress was from! It’s gorgeous.”
Emhoff has delivered some stylish numbers throughout the week-long political event, where Harris accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for its 2024 presidential candidate. On Monday, the artist – who is signed to IMG Models – wore a sleeveless Helmut Lang scarf top and pleated pants, as she donned the Harris-Walz campaign’s camo-printed Chappell Roan-inspired hunter cap. She attended her father’s speech the following night in a chic navy blue Thom Browne plaid suit.
During her speech at the DNC, Emhoff reflected on the moment Harris joined her family when she began dating Emhoff’s father more than a decade ago. “Kamala came into my life when I was 14, famously a very easy time for a teenager,” she jokingly told the crowd on Thursday. “Like a lot of young people, I didn’t always understand what I was feeling, but no matter what, Kamala was there for me. She was patient, caring, and always took me seriously. She’s never stopped listening to me and she’s not going to stop listening to all of us.”
Her brother, Cole Emhoff, introduced their father before his speech on Tuesday evening. Her parents, Doug and Kerstin Emhoff, divorced in 2009. Harris, who is affectionately referred to by her step-children as “momala,” married Doug in 2014.
