Ella Emhoff, who received rave reviews on the national stage in January (opens in new tab), walked the runway for the first time this week. The knitwear enthusiast and Parsons School of Fashion graduate, known to many as the stepdaughter of Vice President Kamala Harris, was one of the models featured in Proenza Schouler's Fall 2021 show at New York Fashion Week, and her s burgeoning fan base much to her surprise and delight.

Emhoff signed with IMG Models after showing off her forward-thinking style at last month's presidential inauguration (the year before, she had modeled for a smaller agency, but joining IMG was a whole new level); IMG president Ivan Burt, told The New York Times (opens in new tab) that he was immediately struck when he saw her at the ceremony. 'Ella conveys this moment,' he said. She is sassy and full of joy."

Emhoff, meanwhile, told the Times that she has mixed feelings about her budding modeling career." When I was younger, I never thought it would be part of my timeline," she said, adding that "as someone who, like many young girls out there, had confidence issues, it's intimidating and scary to enter this world that focuses so excessively on you and your body."

Still, she takes pride in her fellow art kids at Proenza, appearing on a panel with the designer earlier this week (opens in new tab) and now lending her face to the label. Curly hair and glasses have never looked so, well, cool.