Democratic Texas Sen. Wendy Davis, famous for her 12-hour filibuster against a sweeping abortion restrictions bill in June, appears in Vogue's September issue with a glamorous photo shoot and lengthy story about her career and future in politics.
The profile explores the 50-year-old lawyer's prospects at becoming governor and turning Texas "purple." But what we really learn is that Davis is an Urban Outfitters-wearing, red wine-lovin' mom who can riff about Girls with her two millennial daughters. Or, as The Washington Post puts it, "she's working on perfecting her 'cool mom' status."
1. She hosts Super Bowl parties and loves the New England Patriots, which her BFF's family owns.
[Davis' daughters] propose a tour of the family's Spanish-style town house—starting with the media room, where Super Bowl parties are held ("Mom's best friend is Patti Kraft, whose father-in-law owns the Patriots, so we're big fans," Amber tells me).
2. Her boyfriend is the "scruffy but handsome" former mayor of cool town Austin.
A scruffy but handsome Will Wynn, Senator Davis's boyfriend, an energy and public-health consultant and the former mayor of Austin, passes me a plate of sliced organic local peaches and plums.
3. Family conversations hit on Girls and the appropriateness of yoga pants.
Playful teasing ensues: about Wynn's squeamishness at watching Girls, about Dru's insistence that yoga pants are appropriate attire for the digital-marketing office where she works, about their mom's naturally curly hair and the inconceivable number of products she collects to tame it.
4. She knows her cool brands.
Taking quiet comfort in the normality of it all is the mom in question—a stunning blonde, petite at five feet four inches and barefoot in 7 for All Mankind jeans and barely there makeup.
She loves to put on something nice, dresses by Chloé and Victoria Beckham, and Miu Miu heels or Louboutins.
5. She likes high-end sweatpants and red wine.
On any other night, Davis says, "I'm happy in Lululemon, with a glass of red wine, watching HGTV," but the girls are in town, so it's a special occasion.
6. This excellent 4th of July outfit.
She's comfortable in the high-80s heat (she goes running in it most mornings), wearing an American-flag scarf from Urban Outfitters, a white tank top, blue-striped linen shorts, and red Toms slip-ons.
