Sarah Palin, Obama and McCain's Style Strategies
The Politics of Fashion from the U.S. Election Campaign Fall 2008
Sep 13, 2008
You can’t keep fashion out of politics, however hard you try.
The world’s hard-to-please fashion press are concerned not only with the campaign speeches but by what the (VP) presidential nominees and their partners wear. Booth Moore’s “Palin’s Style: Saucy Updo and Rimless Specs,” featured on Canada’s Toronto Star online site, thestar.com, says “style has never been more important than it is in this U.S. election.”
According to the UK’s Daily Mail, “Things You Don’t Know about Michelle Obama,” of 26th June 2008, both U.S. editors and fashion designers excited about the prospect of a White House style icon to match Jackie Kennedy. Rebecca Taylor, a designer, is quoted on thestar.com's “Fashion is Political," September 9th, 2008, as saying “Michelle is really fresh and she could sort of go where Jackie O went, given the right sort of tools and grooming.”
New York Fashion Week Buzz
The month’s New York Fashion Week has already given a mention to Governor Palin’s rimless frames, and fashion designers and stylists, like Tim Gunn and Nina Garcia, are being asked by the media for views on the fashion sense of the two potential First-Ladies. According to TheStar.com, designers at New York fashion week say that they would rather dress Michelle Obama than Cindy McCain; given Michelle Obama’s accessible style, compared to Cindy McCain’s more expensive tastes.
Style Strategies of Sarah Palin, Cindy McCain and Michelle Obama
In our current world of celebrity-obsessed culture there are fashion trends to make, designers to highlight and fashion flair (or the lack of it) to praise or criticize. “This election has so many powerful women on the national stage who are putting their message out with vastly different style strategies,” according to the LA Times.
From Sarah Palin’s trademark rimless frames, to Michelle Obama’s Maria Pinto purple sheath dress, to Laura Bush and Cindy McCain’s Oscar de la Renta convention outfits. Even Barack Obama, in his crisp custom-made DNC convention suit, has been dubbed a “GQ darling” by the Washington Post (September 7th 2008).
Michelle Obama’s economy-chic style has been likened to that of the late and great First Lady Jackie Kennedy, whilst Cindy McCain’s polished style has been compared to that of Nancy Regan. Obama’s outfits tend to air on the side of credit-crunch chic, with her Donna Ricco $148 dress (worn on The View in June 2008) and her fake oversized pearls.
Cindy McCain, looks every bit the First Lady. According to Amy Fine Collins of Vanity Fair, “she’s absolutely right and absolutely appropriate for the role she’s in." When comparing the two would-be first ladies she says, Cindy has expensive tastes and less of a grab-it-and-go approach to clothes.” On the other hand Michelle “has a kind of style which is accessible and also spans generations.”
Outfits from the Conventions Fall 2008
For her speech at the DNC former First Lady Hillary Clinton, of the sisterhood of the traveling pantsuit fame, looked elegant in tropical mango, her chosen color for her trademark gender-neutral pantsuit . Cindy McCain went for a similar color at the GOP convention when she wore a buttercup-yellow Oscar de la Renta shirtdress.
Both Michelle and Barack Obama chose to support designers from their hometown of Chicago for their big convention speeches. Michelle wore a blue-green wide V-neck dress from a little known designer, Maria Pinto. Current and would-be First Lady Laura Bush and Cindy McCain went for the unofficial couturier of First Ladies, Oscar de la Renta (who designed inaugural gowns for Clinton and Bush).In contrast Michelle Obama stayed away from iconic labels and chose a print silk dress from the modern, Thai born, American designer Thakoon Panichgul, when she joined her husband onstage at the end of his big speech at the Democratic convention.
During the convention fashion-fever, Vanity Fair carried a feature which outlined and estimated the cost of both Bush and McCain convention outfits, taking into account both their Oscar de la Renta designs and accessories. Within in a matter or hours the internet blogs were buzzing, and the article picked up by the mainstream news media, including the NY Times, LA Times and Washington Post.
The sudden rise to fame of the beauty queen turned politician, Governor Sarah Palin, the Republican VP nominee, found her fashion style thrust under the microscope, and found herself unintentionally responsible for sparking a new fashion trend. Palin's eyeglasses are responsible for sending American women running to their opticians for a pair of #704 Kazuko Kawasaki rimless frames. Palin’s polished, professional-yet-sexy secretary look has struck a cord with many men and women; the ease with which she wears her hair up, and her conservative yet alluring style. For her convention speech, Palin chose a chic form-fitting black pencil-skirt and an oyster-colored jacket. Says Project Runway judge Nina Garcia, of Palin’s style, “She has promise.”
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