For most of the fashion world, the 1990s are back. Minimalist chic inspired by a resurgent interest thanks to Ryan Murphy's Love Story has sent a new generation back to the past. The pared-down monochromatic aesthetic that vaulted designers like Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, and Narciso Rodriguez into the pantheon of fashion greats has been well and truly resurrected.
But one group that has left that decade firmly in the rearview mirror is the women of the MAGA-sphere. Gone are the conservative skirt suits, boxy midi dresses, pearls, and appropriately low pumps so favored by Bush matriarchs. In their place, the women of Trump world have embraced a glamazon aesthetic that emphasizes flowing tresses, lots of cleavage, and sky-high heels. New York Times chief fashion critic Vanessa Friedman has labeled this a 'cartoonish femininity,' whose standard bearers are the Trump family women.
Yet another group, and another style, has been taking shape on the sidelines of this now almost stereotyped aesthetic — one that I think shows an even greater generational shift in how Republican women dress — and that is of the expectant mom-to-be.
The New Faces of MAGA Maternity
Usha Vance, Katie Miller, and Karoline Leavitt, ages 40, 34, and 28 respectively, all announced their pregnancies in late 2025 — and became immediate talking points. Not just symbols of the pronatalist movement and conservative push for traditional family values, these three — all professionals in their own right — have trailblazed a new fashion code that merges MAGA glam with the requirements of a working mother-to-be.
Karoline Leavitt: The Glamazon Warrior
No one embodies that combination more than Karoline Leavitt, who famously interrupted her maternity leave to return to the White House briefing room after the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Just two weeks away from her May 1st delivery, Leavitt had attended the event in a glittering semi-sheer and figure-hugging black floor-length evening gown. She accessorized with an evening bag courtesy of her go-to handbag designer, Louis Vuitton. Golden and glammed up, her hair with a notably Veronica Lake vibe, the hyper-charged look was meant to be her final appearance before baby number two arrived. But the dramatic evening resulted in an unscheduled return to the White House briefing room where, with straightened locks and subdued double-breasted black blazer, she attempted to control the media messaging. The moment earned her the gushing accolades of the MAGA base who commend her ability to be both a trad mom and working girl.
Katie Miller: Bold Colors and Unapologetic Femininity
Not far behind her in this race is, of course, Katie Miller. The podcaster and wife of Stephen, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for policy and homeland security advisor, Miller's pregnancy, like Leavitt's, has been lived out amidst her increasingly public profile as a spokeswoman for her husband's political causes. Posing in a crop black bra, low-waisted Levi's, and her voluminous black hair falling down her back, Miller declared via Instagram that 'The most feminist thing you can do is make babies.' Seated across from a series of MAGA world guests on her weekly podcast, she has opted away from forced femininity and into a practical yet glamorous working wardrobe that favors oversized blazers paired with tight camisoles — keeping the viewer always in mind of her burgeoning bosom.
Yet on the red carpet she has glammed it up. Arriving at the ill-fated correspondents' dinner, Miller opted for a floor-length fuchsia jersey evening gown that ruched around her curvaceous figure, proudly showcasing her soon-to-be fourth child. Pops of color have been, at least for Miller, the hallmark of her pregnancy style. Posing with her husband under the White House columns, amidst the blooming roses, Miller went full prom queen mode in a flowing purple gown with a jeweled bodice and sleeves when attending the state dinner held in honor of King Charles III's American visit in April. Proudly posting a picture of herself cradling her bump, in jovial conversation with President Trump as her husband shook the King's hand, Miller seemed on a sartorial high as she rode the wave of her husband's political success.
Usha Vance: The Quiet Revolutionary
Sitting outside these two media mavens for the MAGA movement is Usha Vance. One of just two second ladies to be pregnant while her husband is in office (the last was in 1970), Vance has set herself apart, stylistically, from most of the other women in her husband's world. A graduate of Yale Law, who resigned from a lucrative legal career in July 2024 'to focus on caring' for her family, Vance has resisted the requirements of the blonde and Botox-ed brief that most of her fellow MAGA females follow. Noticeably fresh-faced, with at times what appears to be minimal makeup, she has, to the shock of more than one fashion critic, even allowed her black hair to betray a few streaks of grey.
Favoring streamlined styles that scream quiet chic, Usha has set herself apart by choosing clothes that radiate diplomatic elegance and in so doing pave the future for what Republican female style may ultimately be. Arriving in Michigan for a visit to a manufacturing plant in Auburn Hills, Vance oozed understated chic in an all-cream ensemble. Pairing a cashmere crewneck with a silk midi skirt, she finished off the look with a double-breasted peacoat and the same brown suede boots she had worn with her ladylike pink Oscar de la Renta coat on Inauguration Day. Discreetly hiding any sign of her burgeoning bump, the look epitomized the profile Vance has crafted over her more than two years as the nation's second lady.
A steadying silhouette in what is at times a chaotic political ecosystem, she radiated a confident femininity when, on April 7, she touched down in Hungary for her husband's controversial stop there to support then Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in his bid for re-election. Mix and matching two different textures — a short-sleeve cashmere crewneck sweater over a silk slip dress — Usha made a case not just for the elegance of lilac as Spring 2026's standout color, but the very counter-MAGA notion that less is actually more. As if to prove the point, the robin's egg blue of the midi-length dress worn to welcome King Charles III and Queen Camilla to the White House said subtly that a pop of color does more to showcase femininity than any of the figure-clinging sheath dresses so beloved of her counterparts.
And when it comes to the red carpet, Usha has the strength to realize that joining the brigade of glitz and glam that personifies the MAGA female style is not where she lives sartorially. Attending April's state dinner, she chose an off-the-shoulder black floor-length gown by Oscar de la Renta whose only ornament was an oversized white flower pinned to her bodice and finished off the look with an elegant chignon and discreet diamond studs. Black is best must have been the takeaway for this runaway sartorial success, repeated again in an asymmetrical version of a strikingly similar silhouette for the White House Correspondents' Dinner. While her fellow moms-to-be had opted for sparkle, Usha again leaned into her own style story — much as Melania did that night in a black double-breasted Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo, a style that has become her trademark.
A New Era for Republican Style
While it is unclear how close Usha is to the First Lady, my guess is she has given careful consideration to how this preeminent fashion figure has handled the combination of clothes and criticism. Melania has remained out of step with the style of both her daughters-in-law and the rest of Trump world. Her clothes retain an air of European sophistication that is noticeably lacking from anyone else in her husband's orbit. In doing so she has remained above and apart from the sea of women who all look and dress the same.
Usha is, I think, following even more radically in that path. Dressing in clothes that look and feel distinctly more Democrat than Republican, she bridges the sartorial political divide, looking not only elegant but relatable — something that is clearly missing from mainstream Republican women and their party elders. Taking a leaf out of Michelle Obama's book, who took full advantage of the popularity capital in 'high/low' dressing, Usha is signaling a new era for Republican consorts.
