Highs and lows of the budget debate

So it turns out that we won't be writing this week about what our elected officials wear in a government shutdown after all. Here's what Senator Claire McCaskill and Rep. Marsha Blackburn were wearing on CNN on Friday night:

These women have opposite challenges: McCaskill's neckline is a bit too high and Blackburn's is a bit too low.

For McCaskill, we can see readily where her neckline should be - right along where her necklace is. The fact that her necklace does sit there helps this look, but it would be better if we didn't have that extra sliver of white above it, hiding the lower part of her neck.

For Blackburn, her neckline isn't so low that we're seeing cleavage (thankfully) but it's still not at the optimal point. For the shape of her face, she would be well served by a neckline that's 1.5 to 2 inches higher. Sometimes a camisole is a very simple way to achieve this, and that might have worked here.

A winning Senate wardrobe

I wrote a guest post on Corporette that was posted today, and it's generating A LOT of comments.  Some of the Corporette readers really don't like my choice of photos for the post, and that's probably because they didn't start out as photos - they started out as videos. When Kat (who writes Corporette) asked me to switch to stills, I was a little thrown, so I used screen grabs. As you know, I prefer to use video. So. Here's the post with the video embedded. Enjoy!



And you should read Corporette. It's great!

There is one question I am asked more than any other in writing The Style of Politics: Who is the best dressed woman in government? It’s a difficult one to answer, actually. There are a number of women who look great more often than not: Senator Susan Collins, Secretary Hillary Clinton, Rep. Michele Bachmann, Speaker Nancy Pelosi. But my personal favorite wardrobe on the Hill belongs to Senator Claire McCaskill.


There’s a lot to think about when you get dressed in the morning, but I suggest you keep two elements at the forefront of your mind: color and shape. Senator McCaskill does both of these really well. You can do it too. 


First, color:

Senator McCaskill knows her best colors are light, warm and clear. She looked great in saturated pink at the World War II Memorial:

How do you know what colors are best for you? Try this test: gather tops or scarves in three pairs: a light and a dark, a warm and a cool, and a clear (or bright) and a muted color. Put each on one and have a look in the mirror. Which one in each pair looks best? If you’re not sure, look specifically at the area around your nose and mouth - if it looks ruddier, that’s not the right color for you. Also look under your eyes - if circles or bags become more pronounced, that’s not the right color either. A good color will make your skin tone look even and your eyes look bright and awake. (Or go for a color analysis - a great investment!)


Second, shape:

Senator McCaskill knows her best shapes are those that define her waist and elongate her torso, without being too stiff or boxy. She wore a great navy blazer and lemon yellow top on the Senate floor recently:

This jacket is tailored, defining her shoulders and waist, but she wears it open to keep it from boxing her in. The light color of her top underneath provides contrast with the jacket that creates a strong vertical line on the body. She looks authoritative and professional. 


There’s a lot going on in that moment in front of the closet: What’s the weather like? What did I wear yesterday? What do I have to do today? What looks the most like that great dress I just saw on corporette? But color and shape will never steer you wrong!

Blondes in pink

Senator Claire McCaskill and Secretary Hillary Clinton have very different styles, but similar coloring, and recently they both chose outfits in pale pink.

Secretary Clinton at a meeting with the British foreign minister:


Senator McCaskill at a Senate hearing on Iran sanctions:


Neither one of these women is very well served by this pale shade of pink. They look sort of doughy, with clothes blending into skin blending into hair.

I really believe that everyone can wear every color, it's just a matter of finding the right shade for you.  For women with coloring like these two (hair AND skin) a mid-range pink would serve them better. Here are some items they could try:

Pink for blondes by StyleofPolitics

Contrast trim blazer: A new trend?

Last week, Claire McCaskill wore a black blazer with white trim for a Senate hearing on Medicare and Medicaid:

The soft curves of her lapel nicely echo the curves of her hair and face, for an effective, complementary look.

The bold contrast is also quite memorable, so I notice right away when Carly Fiorina wore a similar jacket on CNN:

It's similar, but not the same. In fact, it's different in a very important way: instead of a softly curved lapel, this lapel is much more angular, just as Ms. Fiorina's face and hairstyle are more angular. So it works for her in the same way Senator McCaskill's does. Trade jackets and it doesn't work anymore, even though they are (at first glance) so similar.

Claire McCaskill in black and white and red all over

This week's Goldman Sachs hearings got plenty of play on late night television in part because of some of the colorful language the senators chose to quote in their questioning. One result was that a Homeland Security and Government Affairs committee hearing ended up getting a lot more exposure than usual. Claire McCaskill looked powerful in black, white and red:

Senator McCaskill gives a great example of how blondes can wear bold colors by use of color blocking. Her black jacket is broken up by the white facing on the stand up collar and red cuffs. The red top is broken up by the chunky white necklace. Creating variation in this way keeps her from being overwhelmed by color saturation. This look is very successful for a high-profile day.

The Red Jacket: Senate success stories

We've talked before about how so many women in politics choose bright red structured jackets because of this myth that this is what you're "supposed" to wear as a female politician, even if it's not the best look for you. But sometimes it is the best look for you, or you can adapt the look to make it work. There were two great example of this in the Senate last week.

First, let's look at Susan Collins during a budget hearing for the Department of Transportation:

Senator Collins went for the classic red jacket look. This warm red color works for her coloring, and she wears it frequently. She stands out behind her microphone, even with the staffer in a busy print behind her. The important thing to remember here is that this jacket works for her. The same exact outfit on someone else might not.

Now let's have a look at Claire McCaskill in a floor speech on discretionary spending:

Senator McCaskill has made modifications to the classic red jacket look. She went for a jacket that is longer and unlined, making it less structured, and layered it over a darker red print top. The length of the jacket and the color variation both help to create a longer body line. Try to imagine Senator Collins's jacket on Senator McCaskill. Doesn't really work, does it? So much structure would make her look boxy.

Don't ever imagine that you "can't" wear a particular color or style or fabric. You just have to find the right shade, the right combinations, the right pieces to make it work for you.

Claire McCaskill questions Blackwater contracts

Senator Claire McCaskill questioned contracts with Blackwater during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last week. She wore a red jacket, and her signature glasses with black frames:

The Senator's glasses are a bold look, and she wears them often. Here's another angle, from January in anticipation of the State of the Union address:

The question, of course, is whether she wears the glasses or perhaps they wear her. There are some image consultants who will suggest that dark, bold frames like this obscure the face, no matter who you are. I'm not one of them (full disclosure: my own Michael Kors frames are rather similar to Senator McCaskill's). I do think, though, that for her this color is perhaps in too strong a contrast with her coloring overall. Similar frames in a warm brown might have softened her look in a way that would work better with her hair color especially.

But frankly, I applaud her for regularly wearing her glasses at all. It's amazing to me how frequently we as women still succumb to the idea that glasses are somehow "unbecoming."