One thing I’ve never been accused of in my years as a journalist is being an expert on fashion. Like many men my age, my idea of what looks good is shaped by what was popular when I was “hip” — which was longer ago than I care to admit. My clothing choices are guided by price, durability, and whether they can conceal a midlife bulge. Comfort matters more than style, and practicality usually wins over trendiness, although I’ve gotten used to the skinny jeans I bought a few months ago. I don’t dress to make a statement, but I can certainly recognize when somebody else does, such as Her Excellency, Gov. Abigail Spanberger. 

As you may have heard, there’s a tradition that Virginia’s incoming governors wear a specific outfit to their inauguration. Protocol calls for a dark-colored morning coat for the occasion. I’ll bet whoever came up with that rule never imagined a woman leading the Commonwealth. On Saturday, one question among the press gaggle on the risers in front of the podium was what she would wear. That might seem like a superficial way to consider the first actions of the state’s first female governor, but it was more than a style question. It was a chance to see how she would navigate a tradition and protocol not designed for someone like her. 

And how did she do? She appeared in a white jacket with gold buttons and matching white gloves. The look was clean and commanding. A gold pin on her coat read, “One country. One destiny.” The choice of white has been interpreted as a nod to the women’s suffrage movement. 

The moment’s impact multiplied when she stepped to the podium after being sworn in. There she stood, the state’s leader, dressed in white, delivering her inaugural address with messages of hope and progress. In front of her lay the state seal, showing the Roman goddess Virtus standing over a man who symbolizes a despot, lying prone and defeated. It is a visual representation of the state motto: “Sic Semper Tyrannis” — thus always to tyrants. 

While I may not be a fashionista, I think another message was sent with her wardrobe decision. Style isn’t just about what you wear — it’s about the courage to stand as yourself, even in a world built for someone else.