John Boehner breaks the rules

If there's one thing the conventional wisdom seems to know about how politicians should dress, it's that men have a uniform, and that uniform includes a bright red tie. "Red is a power color," they say. "Red is patriotic," they insist.

And then you notice something like this: John Boehner is Speaker, and his ties are pastels.  Look:

He wears pink:


And green:


And yellow:


Not much red this year!

Now, you might remember my discussion in Politico this time last year about Boehner's sharp, authoritative style of dress. But that was election season - expect those red ties and cuff links to make a comeback as election time draws near again. 

Coburn spices up summer

Tom Coburn was on Charlie Rose earlier this month. He wore a tan suit and a grass green tie:


If ever you gentlemen are on a search for a summer suit that can get longer (and less conspicuous) wear than seersucker, the tan suit is your man. The Senator does the right thing here by choosing a brightly colored tie and a non-white shirt to keep the look summery.

To quibble, I don't care for a button down collar in a business setting, but there are those who disagree with me there, so I'll let it pass (or not, as I'm mentioning it now...). The lapel is a touch too wide too. But overall an excellent look, especially for television, where white is problematic.

Not all blue is for boys

Rep. Alan Grayson didn't wear a flag tie for his statement on foreclosure fraud (thankfully) but his choice still wasn't one I would recommend:

The abstract print on this tie with a white and aqua color palette, paired with a matching bright aqua shirt looks almost...feminine. It certainly doesn't position the Congressman in a powerful or authoritative posture.

The Pledge to America does not include ties

The Republican House leadership held a press conference in Virginia to announce their new policy agenda: "A Pledge to America." Perhaps you've heard of it? The group included three women, but it was the way the men were dressed that was striking: Not a single one of them wore a tie.  Have a look:

The no tie-open collar-sleeves rolled up look is well known on the campaign trail, often in town hall style events. It connotes ease, relatability and a readiness to roll up his sleeves and get to work (get it?). But seeing it here en masse looks a bit odd, not unlike if they were all wearing the exact same tie. Of course, they're not all identical. Some shirts are white, some are blue, some are blue plaid. A few opted for jackets. Rep. Jeb Hensarling wore a red polo shirt that looks like it perhaps was laundered one too many times - a bit too informal in comparison to the others.

But not one, not even the leader Rep. John Boehner, opted for a tie. And that's why it looks weird. They had to have coordinated their outfits. Either way in advance, or right before, urging those with ties to take them off. And how do I know that it's not just a coincidence? Because the women are a lot more dressed up. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito and Rep. Marsha Blackburn are wearing suits with button down shirts and plenty of jewelry. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, sporting a baby bump, went for a soft jacket and bold jewelry. All three of these women are leaders in their party and appear regularly at press conferences like this one. They know what's going on. But odds are, they didn't get the no-tie memo because none of them would literally wear a tie, so they were left without information about how to dress in line with their colleagues.

I'm not a conspiracy theorist. I'm really not. But come on, Blackburn shows up in a full suit and heels and not one of those guys wears a tie? I'm not buying it.

It's different for girls

Yesterday, DCist directed us to what they called The Best Campaign Video You'll See All Year. Here it is:

Council candidate Bryan Weaver does a fine job with the video and his wardrobe: nice tie, good colors. The shirt is maybe a tad too big. But all fine.

This video got me thinking, though, about how frustrating it is that the campaign trail equivalent of "loosened tie, rolled up shirtsleeves" for women is "it depends." It depends on the place, the time of year, the activity at hand. But let's imagine this video was made by a female candidate running for the Ward 1 Council seat. What should she wear? What says "I just stepped out of my office where I was doing Very Important Professional Work to speak with Regular People in a Relaxed Manner" in just the right way? And allows you to "run" across the Ward? I would suggest this:

A shirtdress is dressed up and relaxed at the same time. A full skirt allows plenty of movement, probably more than lined dress pants would. Ballet flats are practical and professional enough to hide your toes. Stud earrings add just enough sparkle without dangling around and being distracting. And sunglasses are a nice nod to the season, the outdoor setting and the "dressed down" moment. When a woman can't roll up the sleeves of her shirt, she can push her sunglasses on top of her head.

Floral neckties are for Father's Day brunch

You already know how I feel about flag ties. But I must tell you, floral ties aren't a whole lot better. Here's Congressman Barney Frank on the Rachel Maddow Show last week:

I simply don't understand the appeal of this tie. It's busy. It's multicolored. It generally looks soft. None of those elements are features I would recommend for discussing a hard-won piece of legislation, no matter how tired you are. If it was a gift from your kids or your grandkids, fine, wear it to Father's Day brunch. Don't wear it on television.

Yes, that man is wearing a bicycle on his lapel

That's Earl Blumenauer, Co-Chair and founder of the Congressional Bicycle Caucus. In this case, a red bicycle.  But Rep. Blumenauer wears the Bike Caucus lapel pin frequently, and it comes in other colors too, like neon yellow, which he wore to present Mandy Moore with her own pin in March.

But the congressman doesn't reserve his pin only for bicycle transportation advocacy occasions. He was wearing it last week during a floor speech on defense spending and the National Guard:

So we have to ask, what does this look mean for Rep. Blumenauer, other than expressing a passion for cause he is best known for?

It expresses quirkiness, for sure, along with his signature bow tie. The gold tie in the video above is a bit too wide for him, actually. The fullness of it starts to dwarf his face (see also another time he wore this tie). But in general, the bow ties seem to work for him. If you're already known as "the bicycle guy" you're not really depleting much from your image with mainstream indicators of quirk like lapel pins and bow ties. What keeps him out of costume territory? A muted color palette. Blue, gray, gold, crimson. No novelty prints or creative tailoring.

Alan Grayson and the stars and stripes

Rep. Alan Grayson made a rather unfortunate choice of necktie during the House health care vote. Don't blink or you'll miss it in this clip:

And here is he again in a different flag tie on MSNBC just a few days later:

Don't wear flag ties. Just. Don't. Do. It. They're tacky. They're ugly. And please don't tell me that I don't understand what you're trying to do here - you think a flag tie is patriotic? Really? Distorting the flag and tying it in a knot? I beg to differ. If you want to convey your patriotism in public office, your commitment to your civic duty, do us all a favor and just dress well.