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.

All about the bangs

This is National Public Health Week, and EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson recorded a message:

Ms. Jackson has kept a short hairstyle since we first saw her on camera for the EPA, but this is a new style that is shorter on the sides and longer on the top. It's a chic look for her, adding height on the top and elongating her face with long bangs.

Pop the collar

Here's Eleanor Holmes Norton in her office, discussing DC home rule:

Raising (or "popping") the collar of a blouse when it's paired with a structured jacket can look a bit aggressive.  But here she pairs it with a two-tone sweater, which looks much more dressed up with the crisp white blouse underneath. An excellent, elegant outfit.

Not white, not blue

John McCain spoke to Charlie Rose last week about Libya:

The Senator chose a pale green dress shirt and a muted red tie. These aren't colors we're seeing a lot of in menswear lately, but they work well for him.

White can be problematic on television in general (too reflective) and the difficulty is compounded for those with white or very light hair color, as the hair might look "dirty" in comparison to the shirt. This leads many men to choose blue dress shirts, which works fine, especially for those with blue eyes. But this green color compliments the Senator's skin tone better than a saturated French blue would, and it has the benefit of being a little bit unusual.

Scarf lesson

Rep. Donna Edwards wore a scarf last week on the House floor, as she discussed the budget:

My clients often tell me that scarves are the hardest accessory to wear, because tying them seems hard. I hope this example will show you that there is no "right" way to do it, it's all in what works for you and your body. In this case, draping the scarf in a long and wide shape across the chest adds lots of visual interest to an otherwise plain dress.

Great shape

Here's Senator Hutchison last week, discussing the budget and the economy:

This cornflower blue is consistent with her usual pastel palette. What I want you to notice is the shape of the neckline. This jacket and blouse work so well for her because the neckline echoes the shape of her jawline. It's a subtle effect, but a beautiful one.

Remembering Ferraro, and her wardrobe

Last year, we took a look back at Geraldine Ferraro's look during her 1984 vice presidential run. Her passing yesterday has produced a flurry of memorial articles accompanied by images from that time, all the way through last year.

One of the most common is an AP file photo from '84 where is she wearing glasses, long pearls and an argyle sweater vest. At the time, it was a common preppy look but now she looks....pedantic? dorky? Part of that is certainly the pose. But this is not the kind of look she is typically remembered for.






It's usually something more like her Time cover, or the white suit she wore to accept the nomination, which features in this CNN clip, along with lots of other great '80s fashion:



ABC News has helpfully assembled a slide show of Ferraro through the years. I was most struck by the fact that objectively, she was always very much in style with career women of any given year, even if she did refer to herself as "a Queens housewife."

It's a match

Rep. Mary Kaptur appeared on Washington Journal this week to discuss defense spending. She wore royal blue:

You can guess what I'm going to say, right? One too many details - the ruffled lapel, the necklace, the House pin and THEN the earrings that match the jacket. It's time to turn to Coco Chanel: before you leave the house, take one thing off.

Her lipstick is great, though. It's a rich color for day, but it works because her lips aren't super full.

Pulling back

Kirsten Gillibrand held a press conference yesterday about the repeal of DOMA. She wore her hair pulled back in a bun:

The senator did two things really right in this hairstyle: She parted her hair to one side, and she created some lift in the front. Both techniques prevent an up-do from turning into a hair-plastered-to-my-head-do.

With this style, we do notice her ears more, and with them her earrings. Like many women with pierced ears, my guess is that the piercing sits a little bit low on the earlobe. This can cause small earrings like these to look very small, and the ears look larger. I would have gone with a slightly larger style here, perhaps a very thin, small hoop. 

Pointed Purple

Barbara Boxer spoke on the Senate floor this week about foreign oil. She wore a purple blazer:

A one button blazer a a bright, saturated color like this can veer in the direction of the cliche of the woman politician in the "colored suit." But this blazer works quite well - it is a flattering color for her, it is perfectly fitted, and it is paired with simple jewelry and a plain white shirt.

The key to wearing this much color is frequently to make that single garment the showcase and let the rest of the look recede.

Animal prints on television

We've talked about prints on television quite a lot, and it may seem sort of arbitrary what "works" and what ends up all wavy looking. But consider what happened when Rep. Barbara Lee made remarks last week on the House floor in honor of Black History Month.  Here she is on c-span:




And now here she is again, with video uploaded to YouTube:



A dramatic difference, isn't it?  As the video quality breaks down, so does the pattern on her jacket.  She looks great in HD, but not in you average web video.  Same camera, same footage, different results.

Who is the trend setter?

I had always planned to show you Secretary Clinton's remarks on Afghanistan and Pakistan last month:


And then on Sunday I watched the Oscars, and I knew we had to talk about this:


Square shoulders and cream colored Belgian lace overlay? I'm not sure it's the best look for either of them, but it is interesting to see how the lace trend that emerged on the runway three years ago has played itself out to this point. It's important to note that these are both evening looks - all over lace in the daytime would be great for a baby shower or a tea party, but probably not business.