Tonight, Kenyan President William Ruto and First Lady Rachel Ruto are being honored with a state dinner at the White House. Earlier today, the visiting leader was greeted by President Joe Biden and First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff.
This marks the sixth state dinner during the Biden Administration, and the first for an African leader since George W. Bush welcomed Ghanaian President John Kufuor to the White House in 2008. The night will showcase American staples from the surf-and-turf menu to the performances by Brad Paisley and the Howard University gospel choir. But what can we expect from the fashion?
Earlier in the day, to greet the visiting dignitaries, Dr. Biden wore a prim, pale blue skirt suit, featuring a knee-length pencil skirt and a jacket with three-quarter-length sleeves, which matched President Biden’s dusty blue tie. She accessorized with a pair of pearl drop earrings, a bracelet on each wrist, and a pair of sensible blue pointy-toe pumps. Rachel Ruto chose to don a printed dress in the colors of the Kenyan flag. Like Dr. Biden, Vice President Harris also wore pearls to greet the Rutos: She opted for a lightweight springtime suit for the occasion, donning a tan pantsuit over a white silk top, and accessorized with a pearl necklace and earrings.
For the evening portion of the event, meanwhile, Vice President Harris turned to designer Chemena Kamali, whose fall 2024 debut at Chloé turned her into one of the designers du jour, with Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, and Sienna Miller all wearing the boho label. The Vice President opted for a custom deep green column dress with a train and a cape jacket, accessorized with a gold floral brooch. Emhoff, meanwhile, wore a classic black suit and tie.
First Lady Dr. Biden chose a sapphire blue, hand-embroidered evening gown by Sergio Hudson. President Biden wore a black tuxedo with a white collared shirt and bow-tie.
Shortly after the arrivals of the Bidens and the Rutos, a guest-list of over 500 notable names—be it in the world of politics or Hollywood—began to arrive for the state dinner as well. Amongst the guests this evening included Bill and Hillary Clinton, Secretary of the Interior Deb Halaand, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, actor Sean Penn, and many more.
Below, see all of the looks from the Kenya state dinner at the White House.
