By: Lifestyle DeskNew Delhi | January 3, 2026 01:25 PM IST 3 min readZohran Mamdani during his private midnight swearing in ceremony. (Source: Instagram/@kartikresearch)Right after the clock struck midnight in New York, Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as the 112th mayor of the city in an abandoned subway station near City Hall. With his hand on the Quran, held up by wife Rama Duwaji, Mamdani took oath and walked away to the groovy music of Sikh rapper Babbu Singh. Confetti shot up everywhere outside City Hall during the private swearing-in ceremony, with New Yorkers buzzing with excitement to welcome a new political era.Decoding the outfitsLike the rest of his campaign, Mamdani ensured there was a touch of India with him on stage. For the momentous occasion, he chose a black velvet suit paired with a white shirt, but it was his herringbone tie by designer Kartik Research that caught the internet’s eye. The custom accessory, embroidered in gold with four petal flowers, added a touch of understated chic elegance to the mayoral ensemble.The label was founded by Kartik Kumra, a Delhi-based semi-finalist for the LVMH prize in 2023. “The tie is cut in an Eri silk fabric from Assam,” the designer said in the caption of his Instagram post. New York Attorney General Letitia James administers the oath of office to mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (Source: The New York Times via AP)Next to Mamdani, wife Rama Duwaji and Gen Z’s favourite First Lady of New York, turned heads in a vintage Balenciaga woollen coat with an asymmetrical funnel neck, paired with wide-legged shorts from The Frankie Shop. The look was pulled together with Miista’s pointed lace-up boots. Funky sculptural earrings and gold bracelets from New York Vintage were her accessories of choice.The power couple was styled by fashion editor and stylist Gabriella Karefa-Johnson for the swearing-in and public inauguration ceremony outside City Hall. For the inauguration, while Mamdani kept it modest in a tailored black suit paired with a burgundy silk tie, Duwaji chose toasted-brown separates from Renaissance Renaissance, a label by Palestinian-Lebanese designer Cynthia Merhej. She completed her look with a woollen funnel-neck coat in coffee brown, with faux-fur embellishments at the cuffs and the hem, styled with statement boots and burnished silver hoops.ALSO READ | Zohran Mamdani begins NYC mayoral journey with South Asian feast, digs into ‘chili chicken with tingmo bread, aloo dum’ and chai Zohran Mamdani and wife Rama Duwaji during the public inauguration ceremony. (Source: AP)Duwaji’s look drew a fair share of online criticism, especially after her Miista boots were recognised to be worth upwards of 600 dollars. Standing next to a Democratic Socialist husband whose entire campaign was hinged on providing affordable and accessible resources to the citizens of New York, she faced flak for her accessory of choice.During a recent conversation with The Cut, Duwaji had opened up about the criticism surrounding her fashion. “It’s nice to have a little bit of analysis on the clothes because, for instance, during the general-election night, it was nice to send a message about Palestinians by wearing a Palestinian designer,” she said. For more lifestyle news, click here to join our WhatsApp Channel and also follow us on Instagram© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd