New Yorks ‘IT’ Girl - Rama Duwaji: When Style Signals Autonomy, Power, and theFuture

Certain figures emerge not because they seek attention, but because they reframe what attention looks like. Rama Duwaji belongs to that category. Her recent public appearances have prompted fascination not simply because of what she wears, but because of how she wears it and what that communicates in spaces historically governed by rigid expectations of women’s appearance. From a fashion psychology perspective, her style functions less as ornament and more as psychological positioning, fashion as a language - Gabriela’s styling did not attempt to “first-lady-fy” Rama, this is fashion as authorship.

Coherence as Authority

One of the most consistent findings in visual psychology is that coherence builds credibility. When silhouette, posture, material, and context align, observers experience what researchers call processing fluency the sense that something “makes sense,” even before conscious analysis occurs (Reber, Schwarz & Winkielman, 2004). Rama’s looks succeed precisely because they are coherent rather than performative. They do not attempt to imitate an archetype of femininity adjacent to power; instead, they establish a self-contained aesthetic logic. This coherence communicates confidence without aggression and modernity without dissonance; the result is presence.

Identity Without Subordination

Social psychology has long demonstrated that appearance is one of the fastest ways people assign meaning, status, and intention to others (Willis & Todorov, 2006). For women in positions adjacent to power, clothing becomes an especially loaded site of interpretation. Especially women connected to political power are often subjected to a narrowing of identity. Social psychology describes this as role engulfment, when one role begins to dominate how an individual is perceived, often at the expense of autonomy (Thoits, 1991). Rama’s style resists this collapse, her fashion choices signal independence of self-definition. They do not seek permission from tradition, nor do they reject it outright. Instead, they introduce a third option: continuity of self within new contexts. Research on identity-based motivation shows that individuals who maintain alignment between internal identity and external presentation experience greater confidence and behavioural consistency (Oyserman, 2015). In other words, authenticity is not just emotional it is functional.

Fashion as Cultural Language

From a sociological perspective, her clothing, the coat by Palestinian-Lebanese designer Cynthia Marej of Renaissance Renaissance, herself a third-generation couturier adds another layer of meaning. The clothing functions as a symbolic system. It carries narratives of heritage, affiliation, and value, whether consciously intended or not (Crane, 2012). Designers, materials, and provenance all function as signals within that system. Choosing garments rooted in craftsmanship, lineage, or cultural specificity does more than elevate aesthetics it situates the wearer within a broader story. Fashion psychology recognises this as symbolic self-completion, where individuals use meaningful objects to express aspects of identity that words cannot fully capture (Wicklund & Gollwitzer, 1982). This is why certain looks feel resonant rather than decorative.

Conscious Choices, Visible Values

The midnight swearing-in look may be the most psychologically rich of all. The coat was vintage Balenciaga. That distinction matters. Vintage clothing often carries associations of discernment, longevity, and cultural literacy - qualities that increase perceived depth and authority (Joy et al., 2012). It also resists fast-fashion temporality, aligning with research showing that mindful consumption increases perceived meaning and satisfaction (Niinimäki et al., 2020). It was also a rental. Another striking aspect of Rama’s fashion narrative is restraint. In a culture that equates excess with success, deliberate limitation reads as confidence. Psychological research on sustainable and access-based consumption shows that choices such as renting, rewearing, or selecting vintage garments are often interpreted as signals of discernment rather than deprivation particularly among socially aware audiences (Lang & Armstrong, 2018; Niinimäki et al., 2020). These behaviours communicate values: intentionality, responsibility, and independence from trend cycles. From a fashion psychology lens, this is not minimalism for its own sake. It is value alignment made visible. This is not austerity, this is intentionality.

Signatures and the Stability of Self

Then there were the boots. By Misa, and rentable via Bento, they caused a stir not because they were shocking, but because they were consistent. Rama wore boots on her wedding day. We love a signature because the brain loves continuity. Consistent style cues reinforce identity coherence, which in turn strengthens confidence and recognisability (Kaiser, 2012). Under the coat: tailored shorts. Unexpected? Yes. Unacceptable? Only if we’re still operating under outdated gender scripts. Research on gender norms and dress shows that deviation from expected attire when executed with confidence and coherencecan actually increase perceptions of leadership and modernity, particularly for women who are already perceived as competent (Ridgeway, 2011). Consistency in personal style is often misunderstood as repetition. In reality, it functions as a stabilising psychological cue. Research on self-perception suggests that recurring aesthetic elements what we might call “style signatures” reinforce identity coherence over time (Kaiser, 2012). When the brain recognises continuity, confidence increases, and selfpresentation requires less cognitive effort. This is why recurring elements certain footwear choices, silhouettes, or structural preferences feel grounding rather than predictable. They anchor the self across changing environments.

Challenging Norms Without Noise

Deviation from expectation carries risk, especially for women in public roles. However, social psychology shows that when norm deviation is paired with competence and composure, it can actually enhance perceptions of leadership and modernity (Ridgeway, 2011). What matters is how deviation is framed. Rama’s style does not announce rebellion. It simply proceeds as if outdated rules no longer apply. That quiet certainty is psychologically persuasive, suggesting a future-oriented identity, one that does not ask whether something is “appropriate,” but whether it is true.

Fashion as Psychological Infrastructure

What emerges is not a discussion of trends, but of systems. Fashion, when used consciously, becomes infrastructure for:  identity continuity  emotional regulation  boundary-setting  cultural dialogue  assert autonomy  communicate values  support presence This aligns with research on enclothed cognition, which demonstrates that clothing can influence posture, confidence, and cognitive readiness when its symbolism aligns with the wearer’s self-concept (Adam & Galinsky, 2012). In this framework, fashion is not decoration, it is support.

Why This Moment Matters

We are living in a transitional era socially, politically, culturally. Old visual codes are losing authority, while new ones are still forming. In such periods, appearance becomes a site of negotiation. Rama Duwaji fashion choices illustrate what it looks like to occupy that space with clarity rather than caution. Not by being louder, or by being safer, but by being coherent and in fashion psychology, coherence is one of the most powerful signals there is.