Rosa DeLauro's pink leather jacket

This month's action on health care reform generated a lot of television footage of our lawmakers (and some legislation, too). Therefore, this week we will review what everyone wore on the House floor during the debate. Ok, not everyone. But many.

The biggest fashion-related story during the debate was without question Rosa DeLauro's pink leather jacket. At one point, the jacket was actually trending on twitter in DC. Here she is:

Not everyone making note of the jacket was a fan. But as I've said before, even when I try to find fault with Rep. DeLauro's style, I just...can't. Sure, the white padded shoulders are a bit too strong, and the purple and gray scarf is a bit too long, and the magenta frames of her glasses are a bit too bright. But mixed together on her it just creates a certain kind of style alchemy that I can't deny. She's confident in what she's wearing and it shows.

Pink leather is actually having a fashion moment right now:

Pink Leather Jackets by StyleofPolitics featuring Doma jackets

Items in this set:
Studded lambskin-leather jacket, $575
The Row - Barton Jacket, $1,900
DIANE von FURSTENBERG "Sporti" Heirloom Leather Jacket - Leather -..., $795
Armani Collezioni - Tissue Leather Jacket - Saks.com, $795
Neiman Marcus - Bagatelle Leopard Print Jacket, $295

So maybe there's something to this look after all. And Rep. DeLauro wasn't the only one wearing a leather jacket in the House that day. So was Dina Titus:

Definitely a variation on the "red jacket!"

Leather is a fashion-forward, if potentially controversial, choice for women in the House. I had some concerns at first that perhaps these leather jacket looks were too informal for House proceedings, especially those being as closely watched as these, but as we'll see in some upcoming posts, the level of formality during the health care debate varied widely. Stay tuned!