{"id":87978,"date":"2026-01-03T05:41:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T05:41:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/87978\/"},"modified":"2026-01-03T05:41:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T05:41:07","slug":"karoline-leavitt-called-out-nycs-first-lady-over-630-boots-her-wardrobe-costs-far-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/87978\/","title":{"rendered":"Karoline Leavitt Called Out NYC\u2019s First Lady Over $630 Boots. Her Wardrobe Costs Far More"},"content":{"rendered":"

By now, you\u2019ve probably seen the controversy over Rama Duwaji<\/a>\u2018s boots.<\/p>\n

The New York Post<\/a> spotted them first. Hours after Duwaji stood beside her husband Zohran Mamdani as he was sworn in as New York City\u2019s 112th mayor, the tabloid zeroed in on her feet. The boots she wore to the midnight ceremony\u2014black leather Miista Shelleys with a lace-up back and sculpted block heel\u2014retail for $630.<\/p>\n

\u201cSocialist Zohran Mamdani\u2019s wife appears to wear luxury $630 boots to swearing-in ceremony,\u201d the headline read.<\/p>\n

The Post called the look \u201cmore socialite than socialist.\u201d The subtext was clear: the new mayor preaches affordability, but his wife parades in designer footwear.<\/p>\n

Critics piled on. \u201cSocialism for thee, but not for me,\u201d one user wrote on X.<\/p>\n

Then the White House weighed in.<\/p>\n

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted about Duwaji\u2019s boots on her Instagram, calling the couple \u201cclassic Communists\u201d and writing: \u201cThey want New Yorkers to hand over more than half their income to the government\u2014while she wears designer boots worth your weekly paycheck.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Karoline<\/p>\n

Karoline Leavitt amplifies a tabloid headline focusing on the cost of the boots worn at New York City\u2019s mayoral swearing-in. Image Credit: @karolineleavitt\/Instagram<\/p>\n

Except Duwaji didn\u2019t buy the boots.<\/p>\n

Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, the stylist who dressed Duwaji for her first public appearances as First Lady, clarified on her website that the entire outfit was borrowed or rented. The Miista boots were on loan from the brand. The vintage Balenciaga coat came from Albright Fashion Library. Even the archival earrings were rented from New York Vintage.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just going to have to get comfortable with the fact that people on the internet do not understand what being lent a sample means,\u201d Karefa-Johnson wrote.<\/p>\n

Suddenly, the story changed. What was framed as hypocrisy turned out to be the opposite\u2014an outfit assembled without a single purchase.<\/p>\n

But Leavitt\u2019s attack invited scrutiny of her own.<\/p>\n

Users on X were quick to point out the press secretary\u2019s wardrobe<\/p>\n

Leavitt is no stranger to designer labels herself. She\u2019s been photographed in Jimmy Choo pumps that retail for $1,125, carrying a Louis Vuitton Neverfull bag worth over $2,000, and wearing a Gucci watch priced at $1,580. Her Dior Lady D-Lite bag costs $5,300. One expert estimated her diamond cross necklace at $50,000<\/p>\n

Most of Leavitt\u2019s go-to brands aren\u2019t even American\u2014Louis Vuitton is French, Jimmy Choo is British, Gucci is Italian. This from a press secretary for an administration that has made \u201cMade in USA\u201d a rallying cry.<\/p>\n

Others flooded the Post\u2019s replies with images of Melania Trump\u2019s inauguration looks, including custom pieces by Herv\u00e9 Pierre and Ralph Lauren. Several asked why the tabloid had never run a similar price check on the former First Lady.<\/p>\n

The story was supposed to be about hypocrisy. It became a story about borrowed clothes\u2014and who\u2019s really wearing designer.<\/p>\n