Forget Mob Wives: 2025 Is The Year Of White House Wives

We’re only two months into the year, and there’s already a dressy mood in the air. Our favorite Angelenos like Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner are, yes, heading to Pilates in Alo, but when they pop up in Paris and New York, they’ve both been spotted in skirt suits. Both the Fall/Winter 2024 and 2025 runways offered up a bevy of choices to wear the style, which we’re calling the “White House Wives” trend, ushering an era of more conservative fashion with implications in Washington, D.C. — and on the sidewalks outside Zero Bond.

Kendall is channeling a ladylike vibe for her street style, ditching her usual loafer and jeans for vintage skirt suits and hourglass Alaïa blazers, accessorized à la Jackie O. with gloves and clutches. Hailey wore a vintage Mugler cinched blazer and pencil skirt out in New York, while Anya Taylor-Joy donned two Celine matching skirt suits within one hour. The overarching theme is one of considered femininity, with slimming silhouettes and tweed materials channeling the energy of ‘80s and ‘90s boss-b*tch runways. Indeed, one could imagine Bieber walking into a meeting or political dinner in this outfit instead of The Twenty-Two, where she was actually headed.

A lot of the inspiration comes directly from the runways. Celine’s Spring/Summer 2025 collection, which was indeed Hedi Slimane’s swan song for the brand, was rife with nods to ‘50s French icons like Françoise Hardy. On the New York Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2025 catwalks, there were plenty of ways to buy into the trend: in gray at Calvin Klein Collection, in black leather at Kallmeyer, or in doll-like proportions at Marc Jacobs. Some of them could be read as “office siren,” but we’re well past that trend’s relevancy and play for attention. The newer takes on the style range from dead serious to playful, but what does the formality of it all mean for fashion?

The past years have seen “clean girl,” “old money,” and “quiet luxury” skyrocket in popularity. TikTok has been flooded with “Republican makeup” trends since the inauguration, and some outlets have extensively covered the new first family’s fashion choices, which include — you guessed it — skirt suits. It’s hard to ignore the parallels between the rise of conservatism at the Capitol and the trend taking over both the runways and paparazzi snaps. While I’ll leave the politicking to other publications, it checks out that “trad-wife” trended around the election last year, and that more executive realness is being served with a fascist in office. Correlation doesn’t always equal causation, but when something seizes collective attention, it’s worth noting.

We’re in no way assuming celebrities’ points of view (for what it’s worth, they rarely post about their political leanings, anyway), it’s fascinating to watch the trend trickle down from the runways to stars’ closets — and the White House. There’s hope for a more relaxed, less fraught take on the trend: Emma Corrin and Kylie Jenner modernized it by baring their midriffs and keeping the accessories fresh, with sporty sunnies and a simple black handbag. Here’s hoping more style stars take the stuffiness out of the silhouette — it feels more genuine (and less corporate) that way.