Kristi Noem's Inappropriate 2017 Capitol Hill Outfit Will Always Haunt Her
Kristi Noem is among the many politicians who've tried to make cowboy boots business casual, and one of the DHS secretary's many failed attempts to accomplish this goal happened on Capitol Hill in 2017. While attending a meeting with members of the American Optometric Association, Noem made the bizarre decision to wear a pair of gaudy leopard-print cowboy boots. Her inappropriate choice stuck out like a sore thumb in photos of her with the attendees, all of whom were wearing regular shoes.
While the boots screamed rodeo, the bright-orange short-sleeved dress gave professional vibes. The dress and the shoes didn't only clash in vibes but also in colors, so they ended up washing each other out. The idea that Noem was just randomly pulling things out of her closet before coming to work was only further cemented by her over-the-top necklace choice, which didn't match the formal vibe of the dress or the casual one of the leopard-print cowboy boots.
While we tried to make sense of the former South Dakota governor's weird workday outfit, we also had to come to terms with the fact that she may have splurged about $280 on her leopard-print cowboy boots if she were indeed wearing the Old Gringo Yippee Ki Yay "Lepoardito" Boots. Amid all the confusion, one thing was certain: This was one of Kristi Noem's many tacky and outdated outfits that couldn't be saved by flashing her legs. To make matters worse, Noem didn't seem to have seen the outfit as a fashion fail because she continued adopting the style in the years to come.
Several other Kristi Noem outfits gave us flashbacks to her inappropriate Capitol Hill look
Thanks to her outfit choices, Kristi Noem looked just as out of place at a Lainey Wilson concert as she did during her Capitol Hill meeting. When Noem stepped out to enjoy a night of country music in November 2024, she wore a flowy black dress with tall, tan cowboy boots and a large matching cowboy hat. Once again, the two colors didn't gel in the slightest and made Noem stick out in an environment she was trying to blend into. The outfit was also a glaring testament to the fact that Kristi Noem's cowboy hat obsession is showing no signs of slowing down. As a whole, the ensemble didn't seem well-put-together, coning across as if she'd thrown on some cowboy accessories with her work outfit without a second thought.
The DHS secretary shared a photo of herself on Instagram wearing an equally confusing outfit when she wished South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden a happy birthday in February 2024. In the snap, she was seen wearing a denim dress that had some embroidery detailing on the sleeve. This time around, Noem had the opportunity to create a cohesive look by wearing a pair of dark-brown cowboy boots that would match the color of the embroidered flowers. However, she squandered the chance by wearing the same heavily contrasting tan boots that she wore to watch Wilson perform. Additionally, it was extremely confusing to determine where the two politicians were when the photo was taken because Rhoden's outfit screamed workday, while Noem's gave rodeo vibes.