The Stunning Style Transformation Of Malia Obama

During Barack Obama's two terms as the president of the United States, he and First Lady Michelle Obama worked hard to keep their daughters out of the spotlight — as much as possible, anyway. They wanted their kids to have some semblance of a normal childhood, including leeway to make mistakes, find themselves, and build character. "We tried to set up boundaries around their exposure. ... You want them to be able to have wonderful experiences privately, and you want them to be able to fail and stumble privately, like any other kids,” Michelle told "Today" in 2018.

However, some exposure was inevitable. Malia and Sasha Obama often appeared with their parents at major events, inviting observation on everything from their poise to their fashion choices — and, occasionally, the Obama sisters rocked outrageous outfits that we'll never forget. While this was a lot of pressure to put on such young women, it's now fascinating to look back at where they started and see how the girls have grown into strong individuals with their own unfettered flair. Malia, for one, has had a stunning style transformation over the years.

The Obamas' older daughter, Malia Obama, was still a kid when her dad's bid for president thrust her onto the world stage. Naturally, our first impression of her style was adorable and child-appropriate. Consider her look on the last night of the 2008 Democratic National Convention, just a few short months before her father would officially win them all a spot in The White House. There, 10-year-old Malia stuck to a feminine theme with her mother and sister, all three dressing in variations of pink. Malia's take was a white underdress topped with a pink lace overlay, all cinched by a wide satin belt at the empire waist — in other words, a go-to style for any young girl dressing for a fancy event.

As the Obamas' first term rolled by, Malia's style took baby steps toward maturity as she grew into a young lady. Walking to St. John's Church from The White House with her family in December 2011, 13-year-old Malia once again wore pink. However, it was now in a more elevated salmon color, and she'd begun edging away from princess-y cuteness in the cut of her garments. Meanwhile, the mismatched accessories — such as her white scarf, black gloves, and burgundy tights — were all neat and understated, but the eclectic lack of coordination kept a sense of whimsy that suited the new teen's age bracket.

Once Malia Obama properly entered her teenage years, her style became more grown-up and refined during official public appearances. However, she was also able to show off some quintessential 2010s styles between formal events. During a 2013 visit to Berlin, Germany, Malia embodied trends of the era with her cuffed-sleeve tee, colored skinny jeans, and matching ballet flats. Her color palette of sky blue and rust brown was restrained enough for a state visit but still felt youthful and true to the playful fashions of the time.

Later, in 2015, Malia captured one of the trends of the year with her denim babydoll dress. Boxy and structured denim dresses were perfectly in vogue — plus, it felt like a smart choice to walk the line between breezy and tasteful as the Obamas returned from a vacation in Martha's Vineyard. Looking back now, we'd even say that this outfit foreshadowed the next phase of Malia's style transformation, bringing a refreshing simplicity to her last years as a first daughter.

Growing up as a member of the first family surely put a damper on Malia Obama's ability to cultivate a personal aesthetic, but she didn't go wild after her dad finally left office. On the contrary, Malia seemed to revel in the chance to just dress down like a normal teen. Spotted socializing on the streets of New York City in 2017, Malia kept things simple and classic with dark-wash skinny jeans and a matching denim jacket over a white camisole. Even her accessories were cohesively fundamental — it's hard to go wrong with timeless black Chelsea boots and a baseball cap.

Malia continued her preference for low-key basics and neutral tones throughout her college years. Appearing in an interview for Michelle Obama's 2020 Netflix documentary, "Becoming," Malia let her natural beauty pull focus in a beige T-shirt, cropped relaxed-fit jeans, and white sneakers. "No longer facing that same scrutiny — being able to let all of that leave your mind — creates so much more space," Malia revealed in the interview, and we doubt she was just talking about her mother. This post-White House relief surely held true for Malia as well, leaving her room to eventually start experimenting with everything from her interests and opinions to her sense of style.

After a few years spent cleansing her sartorial palate with some safe and reliable styles, Malia Obama's first big departure came, unexpectedly, in the form of baggy everything. For example, in January 2022, she was spotted walking in Los Angeles wearing a cropped gray hoodie and slouchy beige cords that showed a significant size gap at the waist. The intentional lack of fitted tailoring served up thrift-store chic vibes that probably felt like a huge relief after years of tasteful, White House-mandated dresses. In the wake of this style era, some even singled Malia out as a new icon of androgynous, male-coded fashion.

She was still favoring casual, oversized garments when she walked the red carpet at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2024. Malia was there promoting her own short film, "The Heart," which she described to the Sundance Institute as an "odd little story, somewhat of a fable. ... The film is about lost objects and lonely people and forgiveness and regret, but I also think it works hard to uncover where tenderness and closeness can exist in these things." Perhaps echoing the project's artsy, desaturated visuals, Malia wore a large, gray overcoat and a lengthy, charcoal scarf to the premiere. While it was a little restrained for a red-carpet look, the 'fit was certainly in line with Malia's style at the time.

Malia Obama has often flown under the fashion radar with easy, low-maintenance styles, but it seems that she's finally ready to start taking fresh risks. At the American Film Festival in Deauville, France, in September 2024, Malia didn't just dress to impress — she arrived in a funky and fashion-forward set from Vivienne Westwood. Malia paired the designer's gray-and-red plaid Sunday Corset Top, which retailed for around $1,875 at the time, with an eclectic high-low skirt that offset swatches of the top's pattern with panels of contrasting blue plaid.

Eagle-eyed fashionistas or star-spotters may find this ensemble familiar: Taylor Swift wore the very same top to a Kansas City Chiefs game in October 2024, just a few weeks after Malia. However, it wasn't a total repeat, as these two celebs styled their looks differently. Rather than copping the same pattern-mixing Westwood skirt that Malia chose, the "Bad Blood" singer paired the corset with a matching mini-kilt. This duo created an equally fabulous finish — in fact, we'd rank it among Taylor Swift's best game-day looks. (But we'll leave you to decide who wore the top better.)

From repping the nation in demure dresses to beating top-tier style icons like Tay Tay to the punch, Malia has clearly come a long way in her style evolution. However, it's important to note that she isn't the only first daughter to go through a glow-up — Sasha Obama has also undergone a stunning transformation.