Know your audience

Lisa Murkowski traveled back to her home state to discuss Air Force base relocation with her constituents. She wore a white sweater and black pants: http://youtu.be/OOVbyip58y0

Back in Washington, this sweater/turtleneck/jeans/clogs combination would be awfully rustic. But in Fairbanks, Alaska? It's spot on. She looks neat, clean, put together, and most of all she looks like she belongs there. She even took advantage wearing multiple layers to get one of her good colors (light blue) up near her face with her turtleneck.

Lisa Murkowski spoke last week at a press conference for the Senate "oceans caucus." She wore a beige heathered jacket:

Once again, this jacket is too big in the shoulders for the senator. This seems to be a chronic problem for her.

Don't let it happen to you too: in a modern fit, the shoulder pads of a blazer should line up with the outer edge of your shoulder. If you can push the shoulder pad in towards your neck, the jacket is too big. The rest of it can be taken in (or let out) but the shoulders need to fit if you're going to buy the jacket.

Find the Fit

Senator Lisa Murkowski had questions for Janet Napolitano in a recent Senate appropriations subcommittee hearing. The senator wore black:

We could have a discussion about the pros and cons of wearing a shinier black satin jacket during the day (tricky, but doable) but I would prefer to discuss fit here. This jacket is just a bit too big for the senator. Notice that it sags around the arms and floats away from her body at the shoulders. The lapels are somewhat out of proportion too, which adds to the "too big" look. Not a disaster by any means, but perhaps not the best possible choice.

Color me senatorial

Lisa Murkowski recorded her comments on offshore drilling this week. She wore brown:

This jacket might be a little bit big in the shoulders, but this shade of brown works well for her. We've seen the senator struggle with color selection in the past, but lately it seems that the electoral fight of her life may have pushed her into a more somber but also more flattering color palette.

The Geometry of Lisa Murkowski

Senator Lisa Murkowski chose a boldly patterned dress for a speech to the Oceans Law Policy Conference last week (you might want to skip to minute 3:00 when she starts):

I like this dress on her a lot more than I thought I would. The reason it works is all in the geometry - of the print and of the senator's face. The rectangles in the print very nicely echo the shape of her face. I do think the contrast of the colors in the print is too strong for her, but in general she's doing better!

Wearing patterns on television: Beware!

There are a lot of "rules" out there about what you should and shouldn't wear on television. In general, I don't like lists of rules. They rarely account for the individual, and everyone's look, style, and strengths are different.

BUT

You do have to be very careful about patterns, no matter who you are. This is not a question of whether something looks good on you (as we saw with Mary Landrieu's flowered scarf). Some patterns actually interact with the pixelization of your image as you move and create weird colors. For this reason, there are certain patterns you should avoid ever wearing on television:

Glen plaid

Houndstooth

Chevron stripes, as Linda Murkowski did on the Senate floor recently:

Maybe eventually HD television will allow these patterns to re-enter our television appearance wardrobe, but for now, restrict them to office-only days!

(Glen plaid image by Kaushik Gopal, houndstooth image by Magnus Overengen)

Senator Murkowski reacts to the State of the Union

Senator Lisa Murkowski used the Senate television studio to film her reaction to the State of the Union address. She wore a turtleneck under a jacket:

Obviously, Senator Murkowski and her staff have not been reading this blog. Remember when we discussed how she looks so much better in blue? Still true. This color makes her complexion look ruddy and her skin blends into her hair.

Blues are better. She would look great in this navy blazer with contrast lapel by Tibi, for example.

Lisa Murkowski: A color comparison

Senator Lisa Murkowski keeps a lot of color in her wardrobe. Let's look at two examples. First, a press conference by Senate Republicans on EPA regulations. She wore fuschia and black:

The style of this jacket is a good one for her, but this saturated color has clearly overwhelmed her delicate natural coloring. We see her jacket first and second and maybe third, and then we see her face, and then we see that her hair looks a bit washed out.

Now let's have a look at her floor speech on health care. She wore black again, but with a round neckline, and this time paired with a pale aqua blue jacket:
This color works so much better for her. We see her face first and her jacket later. It also gives the warmth back to her haircolor.