In her latest modeling gig since signing with IMG in January, Vice President Kamala Harris‘ stepdaughter Ella Emhoff is featured in Vogue this month — where she discusses why she is a fan of the mullet.
The 22-year-old — who is the daughter of Harris’ husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, and Doug’s first wife, Kerstin — posed in a pair of close-up shots for the fashion bible this month, showing her own mullet hairstyle from the front and back.
‘I feel like in the past, the mullet was deemed unattractive and kind of odd, and I’m really drawn to that almost ugly-chic look,’ she told the magazine.
The ‘do! Vice President Kamala Harris’ stepdaughter Ella Emhoff is featured in Vogue this month — where she discusses why she is a fan of the mullet
‘I feel like in the past, the mullet was deemed unattractive and kind of odd, and I’m really drawn to that almost ugly-chic look,’ she said
‘The more you have this style, the more you want to push the limits of how mullet-y you can get it,’ Ella said
Family: The 22-year-old is the daughter of Harris’ husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, and Doug’s first wife, Kerstin (pictured with Doug, Kamala, and brother Cole)
The images show Ella, who graduated from The New School’s Parsons School of Design last month, getting her curly brown hair snipped by hairstylist Masami Hosono.
She’s modeling a Celine by Hedi Slimane yellow cardigan and ruffled pussybow blouse, which are paired with large Gucci glasses and minimal makeup by Fara Homidi.
Vogue’s article — titled ‘Business Up Front With a Party in Back, the Mullet Returns (Really)’ — makes the case that the ‘maintenance-free’ hairstyle is seeing a resurgence in popularity.
‘The more you have this style, the more you want to push the limits of how mullet-y you can get it,’ Ella said.
Ella has certainly earned plenty of attention for her unconventional style since attending the inauguration in January in a stunning Miu Miu coat.
Underneath, she later revealed she was wearing a burgundy tea dress from independent New York designer Batsheva Hay, with whom she later collaborated on a capsule collection.
Big moment: Ella has been enjoying her newfound status as a fashion favorite since taking the inauguration by storm
Chic! Ella is pictured in her bedazzled Miu Miu coat walking alongside her dad, her stepmother Kamala, Kamala’s niece Meena, and one of Meena’s daughters
Dressy: Under her statement-making coat was a burgundy dress by designer Batsheva Hay
That morning: Ella wowed in a preppy white shirt and tie tucked into a striped Thome Browne pleated skirt in the colors of the US flag as she posed with her mother and brother at the Lincoln Memorial on Instagram
Photos of Ella from before the inauguration also showed the Brooklyn resident at the Lincoln Memorial with her mom and brother, wearing a collared button-down-shirt with a patriotic red, white, and blue pleated skirt from Thom Browne’s Fall 2020 collection. She topped it all off with a chic long coat, a necktie, and a small hand-held bag.
Her looks quickly caused a stir in the fashion world, with Teen Vogue calling her the ‘cool girl’ of the Biden-Harris administration, Vice branding her a ‘slow fashion king,’ and British Vogue saying the coat was the ‘first viral moment’ of the new presidency.
Later that month, it was announced that she had signed with IMG Models.
‘It’s not really about shape, size or gender any more,’ said Ivan Bart, the president of IMG Models. ‘Ella communicates this moment in time. There’s a cheekiness and a joy she exudes.’
He said his response to seeing her at the inauguration was: ‘Wow, she’s communicating fashion.’
Ella said the approach from Bart took her aback, even though she had been dabbling in modeling for a smaller agent.
‘I was pretty surprised when everything with IMG was happening because when I was younger, I never saw that as being part of my timeline,’ she told The New York Times.
Voila! In February, she appeared in her first designer fashion show, just three weeks after it was announced that she had signed with IMG Models
Model moment: She stormed the runway for Proenza Schouler in three different stylish looks
According to Proenza Schouler’s Instagram, Ella was styled by Brian Molloy, her hair — left in her natural curls — was done by Mustafa Yanaz, and her makeup was done by Diane Kendal
Busy week! She also participated in a Q&A with the designers on February 15
‘As someone who, like a lot of young girls out there, had self-confidence issues, it is intimidating and scary to go into this world that is hyper-focused on you and the body.’
She said she was encouraged by the diversity of models working today, and the opportunity to be ‘part of that change.’
‘I’ve obviously got a bigger platform now, and I’m excited to share a lot of things I really care about, and do some good,’ she said, adding that she was ‘excited to do things like wear fun clothes’ and ‘to bring a bit of Bushwick into the high fashion realm’.
Ella started booking work in no time, landing her first cover of Dust magazine in February.
That same month, she appeared in her first designer fashion show, storming the runway for Proenza Schouler in three different stylish looks.
Ella’s first outfit included oversized gray slacks with a matching, below-the-knee gray coat, which were accessorized with furry shoes and a large tote.
Onward! Last month, Ella graduated from the Parsons School of Design, and was joined by her stepmother, Vice President Harris, for the occasion
Congrats! Her proud dad shared a photo of her in her cap and gown
‘Our baby girl Ella!’ Ella is one of two children the Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff fathered during his 16-year marriage to Kerstin Mackin (left), which ended in 2008
Dressed up: Ella (pictured with boyfriend Sam Hine) wore a long, pleated black skirt, a white button-down, a black blazer, and a black tie, which she accessorized with black loafers
She also modeled a black leather trench, and then had the honor of closing the show in a slinky black suit, worn with a button fastened at the chest and her stomach exposed.
This was all while she was still a full-time student at Parsons, from which she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts on May 14.
Ella donned a traditional cap and gown for the ceremony, and was joined by her mother, her father, and her stepmother in New York City for the virtual commencement.
Not one to let a dowdy cap and gown wreck her style, Ella layered the commencement uniform over her own fashion-forward outfit.
A photo shared by her boyfriend, GQ senior associate editor Sam Hine, showed Ella in a long, pleated black skirt, a white button-down, a black blazer, and a black tie, which she accessorized with black loafers.
Another photo Sam shared shows Ella riding in a car in her chic outfit and sunglasses, checking her face out in her phone.
Big dreams! Ella earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts and shared excitement over starting her career
‘I was pretty surprised when everything with IMG was happening because when I was younger, I never saw that as being part of my timeline,’ Ella said
In business: Ella has certainly earned plenty of attention for her unconventional style since attending the inauguration
Her dad proudly shared a photo of them posing together this afternoon.
‘My darling Ella, we are such proud parents!’ he wrote. ‘We love you so much, and are very much looking forward to all you do in the future. And, to the other Class of 2021 graduates out there, huge congratulations!’
Harris, whom Ella calls ‘Momala,’ later added: ‘Congratulations to our daughter Ella on her graduation. I am so proud of you. Keep dreaming with ambition and there is nothing you cannot achieve.’
Past Parsons graduates include Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford, Anna Sui, Narciso Rodriguez, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, Isaac Mizrahi, Derek Lam, Prabal Gurung, and Jenna Lyons.
Several other well-known people have taken courses there without obtaining degrees, including Nicky Hilton Rothschild, Bella Hadid, Sailor Brinkley Cook, Alexander Wang, Donna Karan, and Jason Wu.