Rep. Michele Bachmann selected emerald for a hearing with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke: http://youtu.be/NsZaaV5JSEs
Emerald is a strong color, but many people can wear it. The key is to break it up a little bit, as Rep. Bachmann has done here with a necklace. She also kept her makeup strong, preventing the color from washing her out.
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake held a press conference this week on her ten year fiscal forecast. She wore gray: http://youtu.be/oNEfEN9kRgo
This would be a really lovely look for an evening out to dinner or the theater. This cool gray compliments the Mayor's skin tone, and the necklace hits her first balance point perfectly. But the richness of having multiple textures and patterns, a grosgrain ribbon edge to the jacket, and shiny rhinestones on the necklace take this outfit out of the "work" space and into something more social. The high neckline keeps us out of "date night with Fox" territory, but I would have still recommended a much more businesslike look for such a businesslike subject.
If I really think you need me, gentle readers, (and I do) then I have to give you what you need. More posts in 2013!
If you want people to listen to you, you should have something to say. I learned that from my new blog crush, Hilary Rushford of Dean Street Society. Ok, I already new that, but I just like Hilary.
What we say matters, but how we say it matters too. I learned that from Neil Blumenthal, co-founder of Warby Parker. Here is is in front of a slide of their super cool mobile pop-up shop on a school bus:
1. Show a girl she can lead. Highlight good examples. Be a good example yourself. Consider supporting one of the many wonderful organizations that support girls in leadership - I like Running Start.
2. Support a woman running for office. Look high AND low - the House is full now, but your county, city or school board may have elections this fall or even this spring. And again, there are incredible organizations like Emily's List to help you support some of them.
3. Seriously consider running for office yourself. We know that one reason we don't have anywhere near gender parity in elected office (even in this banner year for Congress) is that not enough women run for office to begin with. Don't imagine that you aren't qualified or aren't ready. You probably are, and if you aren't you can get there. And guess what? You don't have to have it all perfectly figured out. Consider a few tools, like Kathy Groob's excellent Pink Politics guide to preparing for a campaign.
Ok, this is sort of a joke, but it sort of isn't. Somehow, I always imagine this fantasy polling place where I waltz in, flip some levers, and affix a sticker to my blouse as I prance off to work five minutes later. Perhaps this has something to do with my first voting experience at 18, in a local school board election in September, where I got to cast a ballot for my dad and this guy. No lines then. But I digress. The reality is that you should be prepared to wait. I'm not suggesting you do anything crazy, just maybe don't wear the 4 inch platforms that look great under your desk but don't hold for an hour straight on your feet. Maybe something more like this:
Many of the women we've written about on this blog are on ballots today: Claire McCaskill, Elizabeth Warren, and of course all the women (and men) in the House of Representatives. I hope you'll judge them all by their words, and not their clothes.
If you've somehow made it here but still don't know what's up today, go here and find out what you need to know. Voting matters!
As I said before, pale pink can be very difficult to carry off if you have fair coloring. Secretary Clinton was right to pair this pale pink jacket with something darker.
BUT
This neon pink is much too saturated for her. We've essentially gone too far in the other direction. Now instead of looking pale, she's swallowed up by the color, even with highly defined makeup that was probably intended to counteract the effect.
It's also too much to have a ruffled neckline AND a droopy, sheer pocket square. It's so soft it starts to look costume-y, which she surely wasn't going for.
Perhaps she would have been better served by something like this:
And now, in a way only possible in the internet age, people are talking about how much people are talking about what Ryan looked like at Romney's announcement: here's Andrew Sullivan at the Daily Beast.
But here's the thing: Paul Ryan will soon go back to wearing ties and jackets that fit. And then this discussion will be over. Blogs like this one and fashion columnists might continue to have something to say about what colors he selects for the vice presidential debate and so on, but barring a major gaffe, this will be the last time we see his wardrobe discussed on CNN. There will be no close scrutiny of photos to try to identify the designers and prices of his clothing on morning network talk shows. And while we might see endless references to his blue eyes and "boyish charm," they will appear in preface to whatever it was he actually said or did. And in this way, Ryan will benefit greatly from the accident of his gender. He will not see his wardrobe become an entire conversation independent of anything else he says or does, as it has for Sarah Palin, Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, or any number of the women who have appeared on this blog. Women must work much harder just to draw the focus away from their clothes. This is why I write this.
Much has already been made of Mitt Romney's slicked back hairstyle. Now that he's added Paul Ryan to his campaign, we might expect even more follicle-based discussion. Here they are together at the announcement:
Clearly Rep. Ryan has been using some hair products, too. It remains to be seen whether Ryan's famed boyish quality will make Romney look more the elder statesman or actually less appealing. I expect it will be the former. And people are already talking about it. Buzzfeed has lots of pictures, too.
Rep. Shelley Moore Capito was on Fox News this week to discuss the coal industry. She wore a scarf over an orange blouse:
This look is very successful for the setting. Here's why:
It's soft and casual but still professional - exactly what is needed in these "town hall" style appearances.
The scarf brings softer colors closer to her face, preventing the hot orange color of her blouse from reflecting on to her skin under the bright television lights.
Although orange is actually a good color for her (a difficult one!) the color palette of the scarf works well for her too, as does the round organic pattern.
See how the scarf is just draped around her neck? Not too structured, not too fussy. Just put one on and forget about it.
Secretary Clinton spoke at the African Growth and Opportunity Forum last week. She wore a gold suit: http://youtu.be/MIiq9dd_yPI
This is a lot of one color, especially one that's so close to her skin tone. What makes the outfit work? The accessories!
The chunky necklace in a darker color creates a strong visual separation between her skin and her outfit. The length of the necklace is just right too - wearing large beads too tight around the neck will make you look like you're choking, even if it doesn't feel that way. This is particularly important for women of a certain age, who tend to have looser skin on their necks.
The jaunty pocket square helps break up the solid color further down the outfit.
Sometimes it's good to remember that even when we think of women's clothing in the US being so "variable" the variation we employ here is really just a small portion of the global spectrum.
I know I have a number of readers who mostly just read this blog - that is, you don't play the video, or don't play it for very long. But today, I hope you'll make an exception. Find some time on your lunch break, save it for after work, but watch these clips.
Over the weekend, Melissa-Harris Perry devoted nearly half an hour to a discussion of hair because, she said, the subject of her own hair makes "regular and frequent appearances" in the emails she receives from viewers.
My favorite quote: "It's amazing that it's considered revolutionary to wear my hair the way it grows out of my head." My sentiments exactly - I was so relieved when I discovered Lorraine Massey and her staff, people who didn't view my hair as something that needed to be tamed in to submission! In DC you can have an equally revelatory experience at Parlour - tell them you want a Deva cut, which is dry. Yes, your hair can be cut the way it grows out of your head, too.
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