When tone on tone is out of key

Rep. Shelley Berkley gave a floor speech last week on student loans. She wore a beige suit with a beige top under it: http://youtu.be/mW7OL-1OFWc


A tone on tone color palette can give you a very streamlined look. BUT not if the clothes themselves slouch. In this case, Rep. Berkley really should have kept the jacket buttoned to complete the streamlined look. And then I would have chosen a bright top to peek out over the top of the jacket. It's such a small part that would show, it's better to make it a little more noticeable - this beige color blends so well in to her skin that it would basically look like nothing at all.  Maybe something like this instead:

A natural for cream

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley spoke at an award ceremony for volunteers last week. She wore cream: http://youtu.be/t5i0YdCv1AA?t=1m20s

Light creamy colors can be difficult to pull off, especially on camera. But this jacket looks great. Why?

1. Cream can make some people look washed out, but the governor's skin tone naturally lends itself to this color.

2. The texture and color variation that this tweed fabric lends to the look, along with the organic folds of the draped collar, prevent the light color from looking severe or reflective.

3. This video was taken in a natural setting, without glaring television studio lights.

Can Pingree match Snowe's style?

Yesterday's surprise news that Sen. Olympia Snowe will not seek reelection this fall led to all manner of speculations and predictions, including the idea that Rep. Chellie Pingree might run for her seat. During her term, Senator Snowe has developed a distinct and effective personal style. What can we recommend for Ms. Pingree with a newly heightened profile?

We've seen Rep. Pingree struggle with prints in the past, and that seems to continue recently. Consider this black and white print: http://youtu.be/8B6EJX86iXU

Unlike Senator Snowe, who looks best in sharply contrasting colors, Rep. Pingree would be better served by a print with less contrast and softer edges. Maybe something like this:


What she does seem to have down is her best color palette.

Mint green: http://youtu.be/7ZwPYiX43AA

She would be well served by some jewelry or accessories here.

Sky blue: http://youtu.be/-_I_DpXaiD8

Now we have an accessory, but the scarf is a bit too big and full. The tone-on-tone colors really work though.

Powder blue: http://youtu.be/5CUEBRURi7w

And here we have some jewelry. Just right!

Any candidate finds a need for a wardrobe upgrade when the prominence of their office increases. It's a change that can be handled gracefully or not. Whether she runs for Senate or not, it looks like Rep. Pingree is on the right track.

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.

The hidden benefit of scarves

We've been talking about scarves a whole lot lately. Here's some more! These two examples illustrate well what the right scarf can do (and not do) for your complexion.

Here's Nancy Pelosi with a positive example:


And here's Cynthia Lummis with a less successful attempt:


Do you see the benefit? It's color! Scarves are a great way to bring complimentary colors (for you) close to your face. For Pelosi, the scarf helped soften a dark suit. For Lummis, the scarf was the same ale color as her jacket, blouse, hair and skin tone, which washed her out. Maybe she should have tried something like this instead:

In living color

Kay Bailey Hutchison gave a floor speech last week on tax cuts. She wore magenta and purple:

This look is a significant departure from what we usually see on Senator Hutchison. She chose bold colors instead of her signature pastels, but also went to a softer silhouette with a cardigan, instead of her usual structured jacket. The effect is well balanced and fresh. Don't you think she looks younger?

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.

Using color to send a message

Last week, Rep. Maxine Waters spoke to reporters about the House Ethics Committee investigation into her involvement in the banking industry. She wore green:

In most cases, I would caution you against placing too much emphasis on the iconography of color. It doesn't really matter what a particular color "means" if it doesn't look great on you.

But in this case, Rep. Waters's choice of spring green, which does look great on her, was a shrewd choice because of the meaning of that color as well. On other occasions, we have frequently seen Rep. Waters in black, gray or red, which are good colors for her in general. Those colors also connote strength, power and authority. But in this instance, when she is trying to counter allegations of abuse of power, black would read as severe and red as aggressive. This warm, clear green conveys an impression of honesty, cleanliness, calm and reassurance. I can think of no better choice to accomplish her goals here.

Summer, summer, summertime

Rep. Michele Bachmann can wear pink very well - light peachy pink. But last week she chose a dusty raspberry seersucker for an appearance on Fox News, and it didn't work nearly as well:

Seersucker is a great summer fabric. But have a look at Rep. Bachmann's skin here. She's clearly gotten a bit of sun, making pink a poor choice. It just makes her look pinker, and not in a good way.

Here's a seersucker look that might work better, which we created for Seersucker Thursday last month:

Elena Kagan got dressed. Two days in a row.

I suppose that after the Washington Post brouhaha over the appearance of Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan, I should have expected that people would be watching what she would wear during her Senate confirmation hearings. And sure enough, they did. 

In case you missed it, here's day 1:

Lots of praise out there for the blue color, and I don't disagree. She does well with this saturated royal blue. But the collar! It's such an oversize proportion and she is (famously) of a short stature, and those big black buttons just add to the overwhelming effect of that detail. She's back to her favorite necklace and earring set, which we've already mentioned is not the strongest choice for her either.

Day 2 got less attention, but I would say she looked better:

Medium gray works for just about everyone and this jacket, while less visually interesting, is a much better choice for her. We have another rounded necklace and earring set here, but it's an improvement over the perfectly round and reflective pearls.

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

Maybe the Senate women should host a clothing swap

Susan Collins was on John Kind USA last week to discuss the Congressional investigation into the Fort Hood massacre. She wore a lilac skirt suit:


I like the style and the structure of this suit on Senator Collins, but the color isn't flattering on her. She does much better in strong, bold colors like red, as we've seen before. In fact, the first thing I thought when I saw this clip is that this suit would look so much better on Senator Mary Landrieu.

Cokie Roberts recently hosted a panel on the history of women in the Senate, where Susan Collins and some of her female colleagues from both sides of the aisle shared their experiences (definitely worth watching). With all the cooperative feeling on life in the Senate, maybe they should host a clothing swap. Senator Collins's suit could go to Senator Landrieu, Senator Landrieu's red suit could go to Senator Collins, everyone could stage an intervention about Senator Murkowski's insistence on wearing pink. It could be fun!

Clinton and Nkoana-Mashabane have much in common, but different styles

Hillary Clinton welcomed her counterpart from South Africa Maite Nkoana-Mashabane to Washington last week. Look at the very different styles these two women inhabit:




No one could really accuse Secretary Clinton of being a shrinking violet (or of Anglo-American chromophobia) but it is interesting to me that she chose a color so close to her own skin tone, paired with a straight hairstyle and carefully edited jewelry. There is something to consider about the implication of a style that tries to be as unobtrusive as possible.  Foreign Minister Nkoana-Mashabane by contrast wears bright color, puffy sleeves, lots of jewelry and full, natural hair. Her style takes up as much physical and visual space as possible. To be sure, some of these differences are cultural, but maybe some style is one more thing we could learn from each other.

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: A study in casual wear

If you spend enough time watching C-SPAN, you could be forgiven for believing our elected officials spend their entire lives in suits and pearls. But if last week's recess reminded me of anything, it's that the wardrobe definitely needs a change for the "everyday" events back in the home state. My favorite example of casual dressing these days is Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

There is as much to think about when getting dressed for recess events as there is on the Hill, maybe more. You have to consider the event, the venue, the season, and of course your own personal style. But for a member of Congress, particularly in an election year, I might argue that the most important element of dressing at home is location, location, location. Regional styles that might be questioned or even ridiculed in other places are practically required at home, reminding your constituents that you're still one of them. That might mean cowboy boots in Texas, turquoise jewelry in the southwest, or a down parka in Alaska. Rep. Ros-Lehtinen represents South Florida. For her, hometown dressing is all about bright colors and natural fibers.

She wore a sky blue linen camp shirt to mail her Census form:


Pink to cruise the Miami River:


Lemon yellow with cut out detail on the sleeve for a veterans' event:


And a purple t shirt for a high school sporting event:


Now, you might want to say I'm cheating with this last one - this is clearly a team shirt in the school colors. But these kinds of shirts almost always come in two colors - one like this and one on a gray or black background with the other colors highlighted in the logo and mascot. For her, the purple works. But if it doesn't work for you? Switch to the other one. As long as you're not wearing the opposing team's color, that is.

Kathleen Sebelius: A Color Comparison

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius discussed health insurance reform last week. She wore magenta:


This is a lot of color for her. If you're not sure, give it the "attention" test. Where does your eye rest when you look at her? On her face, or down on her jacket? I see the jacket. The Secretary can wear saturated colors, but she does better when they are cool and more muted.

Look at this example, when she spoke at Hunter College recently on the H1N1 vaccine:


This cool blue/green color is much less distracting. It's not that we don't see the jacket, it's just that we don't focus on it. This is also a great example of how to wear color and still look winter-appropriate.

Carly Fiorina: A color comparison

Senate candidate Carly Fiorina appeared on Glenn Beck's show recently. She wore red:

Although this is a red shirt and not a red jacket, I think it was probably chosen with the same goals in mind - to express power and patriotism in one broad swath of color. But when you see Ms. Fiorina on this show, do you look at her face or her shirt? All I can see is red because this color consumes her. She could be anyone. And an unadorned button down shirt is terribly unsophisticated for a woman as accomplished Fiorina. It's what we expect to see on an intern. Of course if you're going on Glenn Beck, the goal is approachability, not sophistication, so this is no time for a blazer and silk scarf. I would have gone for maybe a wool sweater in a fine gauge so as not to sweat too much under the studio lights. But our focus here is color...

She does so much better in cool, light colors, especially gray. Check out this discussion on health care:

Here, we see her face very clearly, especially her eyes. Most people look good in a medium gray, but Ms. Fiorina looks great in all shades, especially this light one. This is so much better than that overwhelming red!

Hilary Clinton: A color comparison

Last week, Secretary Clinton made remarks on fighting Al-Queda in Yemen at a summit in London. She wore a bright purple blazer:

This color clearly overwhelms her. It's all we can see. The problem is actually that this is too warm for her, I think. It's certainly not that she can't wear saturated color. When she met with the Kurdistan Regional Government, she wore vibrant blue:

This suit looks great on her, even with the necklace in the same color, because it's the right color.

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.

What to wear to the State of the Union

Sorry for the long delay in posting, all. Even bloggers go on vacation (or this one does, at least).

The Cut, New York Magazine's fashion blog, has something to tell us about what to wear to the State of the Union. Hint: not yellow.

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.