Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Palin(g) Closet Woes

Palin in a $2,500 Valentino jacket
Source: The Huffington Post

Palin in Asheville, North Carolina yesterday
Source: The Times Online
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Despite Americans' love of fashionable political icons (Jackie O. and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy come to mind), the public has recently reviled Sarah Palin's $150,000 designer wardrobe--and for good reason. It is not the designer labels, nor the smart dressing. And in another economic time, the cost would not have garnered such hostile reactions from the public and such vehement denials and justifications from Palin herself. It is the shameless whoring for votes from superficial means.
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By superficial, I do not mean "fashion" or "style"--Michelle Obama has clearly proven that style does not warrant a high price tag--but the naive, artless, and artificial attempts of some to attach a false and insincere sense of style to a woman who claims that she is just "a soccer mom." Palin is simply the mannequin that displays a political ideology. The clothes themselves are meaningless to her, and she wears her Valentino jacket as a "prop" rather than as a genuine expression of personal style.
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Truly fashionable political women, like the two I referenced above, dress the way they do out of a heartfelt, lifelong love affair with fashion and all it represents: individuality, expression, and panache. Their passion is what we are drawn to, not the cost per item. Palin is one who, oddly enough, looks the same in both her Valentino jacket and in her "own jeans"--she wears what she thinks defines her, as either a Vice-Presidential candidate or as a soccer mom. If she understood that style comes from within and not from some external marketing ploy, we'd be less incredulous of what we perceive as insincerity.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

mad deep, yo.

Ms Unreliable said...

I love the fact that they tried to rationalise the purchases by stating that all campaign clothes would be donated to charity. Imagine what $150,000 straight to charity could have achieved!

Songy said...

So much for a woman who cares small town values.. 150K? That's just crazy.

Miss Cavendish said...

I think she looks bland in all her clothing because, as you rightly say, the passion, the appreciation for whay she has on is missing. It's like beauty: if there isn't intelligence flickering in the eyes, then there isn't beauty either . . .

Thumbelina Fashionista said...

So true Miss C!

Anonymous said...

Really well said. Reading this from Istanbul, and enjoying every word. Makes me look at Palin anew.