Ms. Pelosi had shopped her closet, and this was not, as it happened, the first time she had worn the coat for a public political event. She purchased it in honor of President Obama’s second inauguration in 2013, and the choice this time around served as both a reminder of her longevity in the seats of power and a hint of exactly where her allegiance lies. (Her dark sunglasses did not provoke quite the same reaction, but for those who care, they were Armani; the shoes were from Stuart Weitzman.)

Of course, it’s possible she just threw the old thing on and rushed out the door, though given the stakes surrounding the Trump meeting both for her own party’s leadership and the new balance of power between executive and legislative branches — plus, the fact that she knew the meeting would be televised and there would be a news conference afterward — it seems unlikely.

Ms. Pelosi has always been more aware of the power clothes convey than most in Washington, and unafraid of the appellation “chic;” attuned to both the visual punch that comes from color (Ms. Pelosi wore a lavender suit to lead her troops to the health care vote in 2010 and bright blue when she won the leadership nomination last month) and the viral line.

See, for example, the way the coat provided a neat point of contrast with those worn most often by the first lady, even beyond the infamous Zara one, which tend toward the tightly belted and epauletted trench style. Ms. Pelosi, it appears, is gearing up for a different kind of warfare. Her new team in Congress could not have missed it . Nor the fact that the coat buttoned left of center.

It could be a new uniform for a new term, with Ms. Pelosi framed as a new kind of fashion trailblazer. Indeed, though MaxMara was not aware of Ms. Pelosi’s choice when it happened, the company was delighted by the association and are looking into reinstating the style.

“You develop an emotional relationship with a coat like nothing else in your wardrobe,” said Ian Griffiths, creative director of MaxMara, in an email. “I can imagine why Ms. Pelosi chose to wear it for this important moment, and I’m honored.”

Light it up.