From illustrator to First Lady: Rama Duwaji's chic look turns heads at Mamdani's swearing-in

Rama Duwaji, at present officially New York City's first lady, had a cultural moment and drew widespread attention for her art-world chic style.

Read more: Rama Duwaji opens up about fame, identity and her role as NYC's first lady

On New Year's Day, the Syrian-American illustrator attended Zohran Mamdani's swearing-in event at City Hall wearing a brown coat with a three-tiered fringe pattern.

For the intimate midnight swearing-in ceremony, the couple coordinated in sleek black ensembles. Duwaji wore a funnel-neck coat teamed with a knee-length skirt and lace-up boots. She accessorized with bold gold jewellery.

Duwaji was not just present with Mamdani as the first lady of New York, but she was there as the artis and an illustrator whose work has been featured in prestigious outlets like The New Yorker, The Washington Post, BBC, Apple and the Tate Modern in London.

Duwaji has built a career in animation, illustration and ceramics.

Her special issue with The Cut ahead of Mamdani's swearing in as the Mayor was a testimony to her artistic choice and taste.

She has continued to defy expectations with her wardrobe selections as the upcoming first lady, choosing subtle, contemporary styles with a creative-class sensibility. "I love fashion, and I love being creative and putting things together and styling things," Duwaji said in a December 23 article for The Cut.

On her Instagram posts as well, she has similar modernist appearances.

She first caught the fashion world's eye at Mamdani's victory speech in November. Duwaji wore a black Ulla Johnson skirt and a dark denim square-neck blouse by Palestinian-Jordanian designer Zeid Hijazi. She also wore eye-catching dangling earrings by New York City jewellery designer Eddie Borgo, yet again conforming to the chic art-world style.

Harper's Bazaar has written about her fashion in high regard, “Gone are the boring dresses and pantsuits of yore. Her fashion, and her approach to dressing, is entirely owned by her. That’s what makes it inspiring, and at the start of this country’s 250th year, at a time when political hope has been hard to come by, a little inspiration can go a long, long way.”

Read more: Rama Duwaji’s 1st art post Mamdani’s win: Fans say ‘Welcome back Princess Diana’

Mamdani and Duwaji have the classic Gen Z love story, where they met on the dating app Hinge in March 2021.

Duwaji told The Cut, “I was sort of having a hot-girl summer. I didn't necessarily expect it to happen so soon, but it was a very lovely surprise that it worked.”

Mamdani referred to accepting the position of the mayor as “the honor and a privilege of a lifetime”.

Under the Spanish-tiled arches of a historic disused subway station beneath City Hall in Lower Manhattan, Mamdani was sworn in by New York Attorney General Letitia James, with Duwaji by his side with two Qurans in her hand. He was also joined by his parents, Mahmood Mamdani and Mira Nair.

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