Kamala Harris's stepdaughter Ella Emhoff bares chest on New York Fashion Week runway
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Kamala Harris's model stepdaughter Ella Emhoff oozed confidence as she bared her chest while walking the runway at the New York Fashion Week.
Ella, the daughter of Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and his first wife Kerstin Emhoff, sported a skimpy mint blouse and a black leather lambskin miniskirt coupled with black gloves. The barely-there ensemble appeared to be a deliberate choice considering there's no suggestion it was a wardrobe malfunction. The 23-year-old was modeling for designer Prabal Gurung during an NYFW show on Saturday, September 10, at the United Nations Plaza. Gurung sent his models to flaunt his collection of sheers and colors as a tribute to the misfits of society who are "often watched and monitored, scrutinized but unseen."
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Speaking to the Associated Press, Gurung said he discovered an industrial space in the former home of the Japanese consulate while riding the bike around Manhattan's East Side. The designer explained how he turned it into a white runway that enhanced the revealing metallics, bondage looks, and neon brights in his collection.
"I wanted to create a space for this particular show where we felt what we are feeling in the culture itself: Kind of unsure politically, culturally, but we still want to be hopeful, want to be optimistic," Gurung told the news agency. "I needed to be near the reminder of the UN that our job in fashion is not done until we are alert and vigilant."
Ella skyrocketed to fame following her appearance at President Joe Biden's inauguration in January 2021, where she wore a Miu Miu tartan coat with crystal-encrusted shoulders and a wide collar over a burgundy Batsheva dress.
She subsequently signed with modeling agency IMG and made her runway debut for Proenza Schouler during New York Fashion Week in early 2021. IMG president Ivan Bart gushed to the New York Times that Ella represented "authenticity," adding, "Ella communicates this moment in time. There's a cheekiness and a joy she exudes." Later in 2021, Ella released her signature knitwear collaboration with Batsheva, which reportedly sold out in minutes. She also starred in her first Vogue shoot, graduated from Parsons School of Design, and walked in Balenciaga's show in Paris that year, according to the Daily Mail.
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Some critics have claimed that Ella's family background, especially her powerful stepmom, helped boost her modeling career. The 23-year-old garnered a lot of attention for not shaving her armpit hair, even showing off her unshaved pits while posing for crochet brand Memorial Day. She grew up in Los Angeles, California, but fell in love with the Big Apple after moving to New York for school.
"I wasn't expecting to stay after college, but after creating a really strong community and life here, I couldn't leave," Ella told Vogue Runway. "What initially drew me to New York was the freedom that I felt people had here, especially in the way people dress and present themselves. I always felt a little embarrassed in LA expressing myself in the way that I wanted. Except for when I was in middle school. I really went for it then," she said, adding, "There's so many amazing people doing really cool things [in the city]. It's hard to not want to surround yourself with it at all times."