Amanda Gorman: All the details behind young poet’s show-stopping inauguration look, including that Prada headband

The ring was a symbolic reference to Angelou's 1969 autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

(Getty Images)

Wednesday’s inauguration might have been a primarily political affair, but its attendees had a good go at making it a sartorial one too, with Kamala Harris, Michelle Obama and Jill Biden earning a flurry of praise across social media for their respective ensembles.

But there was one woman whose outfit – and presence – stood out from the rest. Enter Amanda Gorman, the 22-year-old poet who stunned the world with her poem “The Hill We Climb”, which she delivered during the ceremony. 

It wasn’t just Gorman’s poised and powerful delivery that garnered attention, or the impressive fact that she made history as the youngest poet to write and recite a poem at a presidential inauguration. It was also her vivid and idiosyncratic outfit; specifically, it was her headband.

Cherry red, generously padded, and positioned high, like a crown, Gorman’s headband sparked a frenzy on Twitter.

“Ooh wee! What Amanda Gorman is doing for the headband industry through me,” wrote one person.

“Tell me more about Amanda Gorman's delightful headband,” another urged.

Gorman’s red headband is a recent offering from Prada. The Italian fashion brand introduced the oversized accessories to their accessories range in AW20 sparking a trend for the headpieces rivalled only by that inspired by Gossip Girl's Blair Waldorf in 2007.

Gorman’s satin version costs £255 – you can buy it in silver here.

But it wasn’t just the headband itself, it was the way its vibrant scarlet sheen offset the canary yellow shade of Gorman’s double-breasted coat – also Prada – which served up some much-needed sunshine and optimism for the occasion.

And then there was the jewellery, which was gifted to Gorman by none other than Oprah Winfrey, who has a tradition of supporting poet laureates ahead of inauguration addresses, having sent Maya Angelou a blue Chanel coat and gloves for her address at Bill Clinton’s 1993 inauguration.

Gorman wore a pair of Nikos Koulis gold hoop earrings and a hanging diamond and a birdcage ring by the brand Of Rare Origin. The ring was a symbolic reference to Angelou's 1969 autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.