Leave it to L.A. resident and Harvard graduate Malia Obama to provide a masterclass in off-duty chic. Yesterday, the former First Daughter (and emerging film director) stepped out on the West Coast in a look that epitomized casual, cool girl fashion.
Obama, who now goes by the professional name Malia Ann, was spotted making her way to an acting class on Thursday in a pair of low-rise, oversized denim that pooled loosely against her black puddle boots. Uptop she opted for a simple, but high-impact, layering trick. She wore a white Oxford shirt underneath another button down, this one in a mint pinstripe fabric. Street style is as much about the pieces you have on as it is about how you carry them. Here, with her half-buttoned top and utilitarian tote bag, Obama reiterated that sentiment through her handful of easygoing pieces.
As the daughter of the “first social media president,” there’s a particular air of mystery surrounding the 25-year-old. She doesn’t have any public social media presence and (understandably) rarely speaks to the press. Still, there’s no denying the Gen Z influences in her latest look. Obama’s chock-a-block full satchel is a downtown staple across coasts (as are extra large tote bags in general) while her model-worthy jeans look like they were just plucked from the Balenciaga runway.
We’ve gotten glimpses of Obama’s pared-back, fashion sense before. There have been cigarette breaks in between her classes at Harvard (she now holds a degree in Visual and Environmental Studies), sightings alongside her equally stylish sister Sasha, and solo outings in floral Boho skirts.
Back towards the beginning of this year, Obama made her red carpet debut during the Sundance Film Festival in support of her shirt film, The Heart, which premiered at the event. She sported a gray coat and plunging button down shirt that she paired with chunky brown boots and a Bella Hadid-approved accessory: the skinny, skinny scarf.
There’s definitely hints of menswear within Obama’s style and her latest look, too. But they’re also just cool. Something you’d definitely expect a budding director and a former First Daughter to traipse around town in.