Why Is Everyone Talking About Michelle Obama’s Necklace?

On Tuesday, November 3, America will vote for its next President. The nation will decide whether it gets four more years of Trump or it will elect Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee who has chosen Kamala Harris to be his running mate. Of course, against a backdrop of coronavirus-related deaths, Black Lives Matter protests and mass unemployment, the election feels more urgent than ever. These were all subjects addressed by Michelle Obama in her speech, given virtually at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on August 17. But despite speaking for just over 18 minutes, it seems that all anyone can talk about is the necklace she was wearing.

The internet has been ablaze with discussion about this piece of jewellery. Spelling out the word 'vote' on a gold chain, the necklace is the design of BYCHARI, an LA-based, Black-owned brand that handmakes all of its jewellery sustainably. It was founded by Chari Cuthbert, who told various news outlets in the US that it was a 'surprise' to see Obama wearing the necklace at the DNC.

Picked out by Meredith Koop, Obama's long-time stylist, the necklace was an incredibly savvy move. With ever-dwindling attention spans and static images constantly circulated via social media, Koop and Obama understand that visual statements can often make just as much of an impact – if not more so – than the words being spoken. As Vanessa Friedman writes inThe New York Times, 'Is it superficial to focus on such a thing [as the necklace], given the topics that surrounded it: racial justice, social justice, economic justice, environmental justice? Perhaps. But it is such images that linger.'

Linger it has, provoking dozens of articles (much like this one) written about the necklace, as well as the rest of Obama's outfit, which included a silk shirt by Nanushka. It, just like BYCHARI, is a business owned and run by a woman and has a sustainable ethos at its core. That's no accident – as Friedman points out, Obama wrote about the focus on her clothes in her autobiography,Becoming: 'I tried to reframe it as an opportunity to learn, to use what power I could find inside a situation.'

The power here didn't just lie in the obvious message to voters – vote! – but in the fact that Obama chose to champion two independent labels. She understands her influence and has chosen to use this for good, promoting the work of women and their small businesses which, in Covid times, are under threat. Meghan Markle showed the same understanding of sartorial power when she was representing the Royal family – she often chose sustainable brands, as well as those run by women. It was no coincidence that her wedding dress was created by Givenchy's first-ever female creative director, Clare Waight-Keller.

It's easy to dismiss fashion as frivolous and insignificant but, as Michelle Obama has proved this week, our clothes have the power to ignite discussion and possibly even exert influence. Do millions of Americans remember everything Obama said in her speech at the DNC? It's safe to say they probably don't. But they do remember what she was wearing – and it told them everything she wanted them to know.