The image of fur

Senator Boxer was on MSNBC this week discussing America's dissatisfaction with Washington. She wore a gray jacket with a fur collar:

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It's not completely clear to me if this is real or faux fur (my guess is faux just from the texture) but the effect is the same either way in this case. As one communications expert said to me: "It just looks like she's wearing a fur coat--not exactly the right visual for a party trying to talk about how Washington works only for the wealthy."

Fur trim is a tough look to pull off in the daytime, no matter what message you're trying to convey. But this is a particularly unfortunate juxtaposition. You don't have to be trying to make a political statement with what you wear to make one when you get dressed. In this instance, the statement doesn't even have anything to do with the politics of wearing fur itself and whether that's ethical. It goes more to the iconography of fur. It's what the fur implies about the wearer. Namely, wealth and privilege.

This is not a new issue for Washington, so there's no excuse not to make a conscious decision when choosing those garments.

Giffords resigns in style

Gabrielle Giffords released a video announcement of her resignation from Congress this week. She chose the classic power color: red.

This video also shows a montage of images of Rep. Giffords from before and after the shooting. If you ever wanted to see an example of how the colors you wear should change when you change your hair color, this is a very good one. From whites and pastels as a blond, to reds and saturated colors as a brunette, clearly she's had some good advice.

Will Bachmann turn back the clock?

We've been following Michele Bachmann's Presidential campaign wardrobe since the very beginning. Hasn't it been interesting? And now here at the end, it seems to have come full circle.

On the night of the Iowa caucus, when she was still a candidate, she wore navy blue:

Dark color, almost no jewelry, small flag pin. Her outfit is simple, conservative, and, except for the jacket neckline, devoid of detail. It's everything we've come to expect from her on the campaign trail.

But when she announced the next day that she was leaving the race, her look had already begun to change:

She's still in a dark color palette, but her jacket has a pattern and beaded trim. She's wearing larger earrings.  Her eye makeup is considerably bolder, and I'm pretty sure those are false lashes. She hasn't gone all the way back to the pink twinset, but this is definitely a return to more overt femininity.

We'll continue to watch as Bachmann returns to Congress no longer a presidential candidate but with an elevated national profile. I'm not sure if we'll ever get back to her "date night with Fox" look, but I do expect we'll start to see more color soon. This Congresswoman Bachmann will look both familiar and new.

See also the Reliable Source in the Post today and the slideshow that goes with it!

Senatorial New Year's Eve

I hope you have some satisfying plans for New Year's Eve, whether you're going out, visiting friends, or curling up with cocoa and a movie. We don't often get to hear about what Congress does for New Year's Eve when they're all back in their districts, but I thought it would be fun to imagine what a Senator might wear to a New Year's Eve party. And who better to imagine than Kirsten Gillibrand, a senator from the place much of America watches on TV that night.

We know from past experience that Senator Gillibrand sticks to her customary palette of mostly black, even for a night out. But since we're imagining, let's imagine we can get her to go a little further around the color wheel:

Everyone likes a little sparkle on New Year's Eve, and this warm creamy blazer is both festive and structured. The forest green blouse keeps her face from looking washed out, and the bow at the neck eliminates the need for a necklace. Instead, we've paired rose gold stud earrings. The senator gets to keep her black in the form of a pencil skirt and black suede pumps to balance out all that sparkle.

Professional and dignified while still festive. You can do it too!

Give Style: 5 ideas for political gentlemen

And now some ideas for the men on your list. Because I can't resist, we'll have 4 ideas in pictures, and one by video.

Give Style: 5 ideas for political gentlemen by styleofpolitics

1. US Mail tote. This reproduction of an American classic makes a great laundry bag, and there's little chance of confusing it with another one in the laundry room. $24

2. Bright socks from Richer Poorer. Your feet are a much more creative (and subtle!) place to show some personality with a suit than a knot under your chin. $12

3. Monocle magazine. With a unique blend of politics, style and design coverage, this thick periodical always brings a unique, forthright perspective. $15.65/issue

4. Lucky Tiger grooming products. These classics from heritage American purveyor Caswell Massey not only look cool, they feel cool too. $71.50

5. Kings County Beef Jerky. I know what you're thinking. Jerky? Is this a gift, or provisions for the car ride home? But trust me. This is the best, most flavorful jerky you'll ever have. $26.95 for 3

Skeptical? Watch this:


And don't forget: The Style of Politics can do your shopping for you! You give us your shopping list (my religious aunt, my teenage cousin, my 20-something assistant) and your price range, and we deliver to you links to a hand-selected gift for each one. It's just $80 for up to 12 gifts.

For more details, email us or call 908-642-2745.

Give Style: 5 ideas for political ladies

Tis the season for gift guides! Since I believe you can never have quite enough "guidance" until you've found just the right thing, we'll take a brief detour from our usual format. Today, the ladies. Tomorrow, the gentlemen.

Ladies Gift Guide 2011 by styleofpolitics on polyvore.com

1. Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey. Yes, my evangelizing for lipstick extends to the gift guide! This shade is almost universally flattering, while the formulation is sheer enough to apply even with a shiny surface as a makeshift mirror ten seconds before camera. $14.50

2. I would have been a Suffragette t-shirt. This is cheeky enough to wear to play touch football, but sincere enough to appear in a campaign slideshow. Perfect combination. $24

3. The Ace flag tote. This one of a kind tote is made from a recycled American flag with straps made from an old leather jacket. It's green, durable, and unique. $225

4. The Gentlewoman magazine subscription. This is one of the coolest titles I've come across in a long time. Imagine that Vogue was rewritten by Arianna Huffington, Tina Fey, and Ann Patchett. $43.54/year

5. Lollihop subscription. An assortment of healthy organic snacks delivered monthly to your home or office. Good food means good decisions. $18.95/month

Still don't see what you're looking for? Let the Style of Politics do your shopping for you! New this year: you give us your shopping list (my 40-ish bachelor cousin, my neighbor who picks up my mail, 3 nephews ages 2/5/7) and your price range, and we deliver to you links to a hand-selected gift for each one. It's just $80 for up to 12 gifts.

For more details, email us or call 908-642-2745.

Haley shines on

Gov. Nikki Haley visited a Bridgestone tire plant last week. She wore black and white: (http://youtu.be/gSguCfO4HF8)

This much shine is very difficult to pull off in the daytime, and I don't think it works here.

She made a valiant attempt at dressing down the blazer with a plain black top and her customary cross, but all we see is the sheen on the blazer. In fact, the sharp color contrast between the black and the white makes the jacket stand out even more than it otherwise would. If you're incorporating a shiny or sparkly piece into your outfit, a tone-on-tone color palette will do a better job of balancing it out.

Illuminated makeup

Congresswoman Kathy Hochul spoke about the jobs bill at a press conference this week. She wore a tan jacket, and blue eyeshadow: (http://youtu.be/cEtwnGuMbVA)

There's nothing wrong with blue eyeshadow per se, despite what some magazines may tell you. If you have hazel or light brown eyes, it can be a great choice.

But be careful, especially using the colors marked "highlight" in your little eyeshadow palette. They go on lightly and they're supposed to. If you don't have enough light while applying your makeup, you can inadvertently pile too much on your brow bone - it appears that may have happened to Rep. Hochul here. The best way to avoid this is to use a makeup mirror with lights on it.


They're not too forgiving to the little lines and blemishes on your face, but you can see exactly what you're doing.

Too much white around the face

Hillary Clinton gave an interview to Voice of America this week. She wore a white blouse:

We often turn to white tops because they "go with everything" but in this case, it doesn't go very well. As we have seen before, bright white reflects too much light on Secretary Clinton's face, making her skin and hair look washed out. Cream would have served similarly as a neutral color without being so harsh, although with a black jacket she could have paired almost any color.

What you look like on a jumbotron

I'm always telling you to consider the context and the background of the setting you'll be speaking in (all black on Charlie Rose, bright sunlight at a state fair, etc) but sometimes it can be hard to picture what that will really be like.

Here's some video of Rep. Tammy Baldwin speaking at a black-tie dinner for the Human Rights Campaign. Or rather, video of video of her on large screens above the crowd. She wore purple:


You can barely see her standing on the stage, but you can certainly see her on the screens. Not only is the image large, it's repeated right next to itself. As much as I'm an advocate for prints, this would not be the right time! I think she chose well with a satin wrap around blouse with a subtle sheen.

When candid is better, it's time to change the portrait

Until recently, I was most familiar with Rep. Shelley Berkley's image from her official portrait, which appears on her website and her social media profiles:

I can't be the only one who's noticed: her hair in this photo is BIG, completely overwhelming the rest of her. And that's really saying something for a woman who has strong features otherwise.

Rep. Berkley is now running for Senate, and her campaign machine is ramping up accordingly. And you know what I found out? She doesn't have that hair in real life. Here she is on the House floor recently, speaking about the Palestinian bid for statehood at the UN:

Her hair is longer and somewhat straighter and decidedly less poofy.

Her current look is so much more up to date. I hope a new portrait for her new campaign will catch up to that. While hair stylists and makeup artists are helpful for portraits (or weddings, or trials...) it's important that you continue to look like you. What good is looking good if no one can recognize you?

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.