The Inappropriate Outfit We Can't Believe JD Vance's Wife Usha Wore

On the night that her husband JD Vance and his running mate Donald Trump won the election, Usha Vance made a style choice that had eyebrows raising. Even though some signs have pointed to there being weird things about JD and Usha's marriage, she is obviously important to the vice president-elect. After the Republican Party won the election, JD thanked Usha first, before mentioning his running mate and the American people. "THANK YOU! To my beautiful wife for making it possible to do this," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Late into election night, the Vances took the stage in West Palm Beach along with Donald Trump, Melania Trump, and several members of the Trump contingent. Even among the typically garish crew, it was Usha's outfit that was the most inappropriate.

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While on the stage with her husband and the Trumps, Usha wore a monochromatic black dress. It was an off-the-shoulder piece with a low neckline that looked dangerously close to being primed for a wardrobe malfunction. The lawyer's outfit showed ample skin, considering the occasion. She had her hair loosely tied back and completed her look with a large chain necklace. Several photos captured Usha standing close to Ivanka Trump, who sported a more appropriate outfit — although her blue velvet suit was a bit gaudy.

Usha's revealing dress was a vast departure from how she looked earlier in the day. Photographers caught the Vances casting their ballots, and Usha kept it casual in a long-sleeved brown shirt with high-waisted jeans and a slim brown belt. Similar to how her style had changed from day to night, Usha underwent a style transformation during JD's vice presidential campaign.

Usha Vance met JD Vance at Yale Law School, and she was a practicing lawyer up until the election. In July, Usha announced she was resigning from the law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson. Her job's office setting likely influenced her choice of attire when she was still at the firm, but shortly after resigning, Usha rocked an attention-grabbing dress at the Republican National Convention.

Only days after announcing she had stepped down from her law firm, Usha was tapped to give a short speech introducing her husband at the RNC. For the event, she elected to wear a cobalt blue dress that was slightly off-the-shoulder. Unlike the wife of her husband's running mate, Melania Trump, who wears a lot of expensive outfits, Usha seems to prefer more affordable clothing. The piece was a Badgley Mischka that retails at Saks Fifth Avenue for the relatively modest price of $495. According to a Badgley Mischka spokesperson who spoke to Women's Wear Daily, the lawyer did not consult any designers at the brand and likely picked out the dress herself. Perhaps Usha's upbringing led her to forgo choosing a stylist for the event. "My background is very different from JD's. I grew up in San Diego, in a middle-class community, with two loving parents, both immigrants from India," she said during her speech at the RNC.

Later in the campaign, at the vice-presidential debate in October, Usha wore a red sleeveless jumpsuit that was mostly modest except for a large bow around the collar area. As the campaign wore on — and if election night is any indicator — Usha could start to adopt the fashion sensibilities of the Trump women over time.