The two prospective First Ladies and the icon of American style
Regardless of their personal achievements, advanced schooling or philanthropic activities, the wives of Presidents have always been scrutinized above all for their style. Love it or hate it, fashion acts like protective plumage.
Michelle Obama and Cindy McCain seem perfectly comfortable letting their choices of bag, belt, purse, or pumps stand out on stage. “It’s fun to look pretty,” Obama said on ABC’s “The View.” With just a little more than a month to go until Election Day, Obama and McCain are no doubt bracing for the onslaught of hurricane-force fashion critiques. I was very happy to see what Michelle Obama wore when she spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Denver and put her on the best dressed list.
Both women are smart, fit and accomplished. Neither lacks fashion sense. Each has posed in Vogue and been touted as a potential trendsetter in the league of Jacqueline Kennedy.
McCain favors suits; Obama prefers sheaths. But they share a love of Carnival-sized pearls. The ubiquitous necklaces seem the feminine equivalent of their husbands’ rolled-up shirt sleeves -- a sign they’re serious and ready to get to work.
The style of Cindy McCain, who is 54, pastel and primary-colored suits, designer labels (Carolina Herrera, Michael Kors) and carefully coifed hair worn in a French twist or pulled back with a barrette.
My criticism: Her look is so put-together it can seem forced.
The style of Michelle Obama, who is 44 years old,: Hair worn in a loose bob or 1960s flip, dresses with A-line skirts and belts, a mix of off-the-rack and designer labels, pantyhose-free legs. Vanity Fair proclaimed Obama the “Commander in Sheath,” in its September issue’s International Best Dressed List. Among Obama’s favorite designers is Chicago’s Maria Pinto, who created the now-famous purple silk sheath she wore when her husband claimed the Democratic Presidential nomination. The New York Times reported that the dress retailed for about $900.
On the other end of the spectrum, the black-and-white leaf-print tank dress Obama wore on “The View” was from White House-Black Market. After the show, the $148 dress sold out in stores around the country. On the hair front, African-American fashion blogs and magazines have paid close attention to Obama’s locks, speculating whether or not her relaxed look will one day go natural.
When Dean Merceron, fashion historian and author of Lanvin was asked about his opinion on these two ladies fashion style, this is what he had to say.
On Obama: “While Michelle Obama is brave enough to wear belted sheaths in chic and powerful colors, her accessories remain minimal, yet up-to-the-moment. Her color choices reflect confidence, decisiveness, and commitment.”
On McCain: She’s “commonly found in suits, pant suits or with skirts. They are safe, buttoned-up and neutral with one exception. She decided to take on the persona of Big Bird and wear a head-to-toe yellow blazer and slacks as she appeared on ‘Jay Leno’ in April. Later she pulled a grand faux pas by wearing a zip-front red leather jacket. This is the most tragic of all moves, as no one over the age of 21 should be wearing a red leather, fitted jacket unless (she) is on the back of a motorcycle.”
In my opinion none of the first ladies ever came close to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in style and class.
During her husband’s Presidency, Jacqueline Kennedy became a symbol of fashion for women all over the world. She set the style for the early sixties with her clean suits, sleeveless A-line dresses and the pillbox hat that she often wore. In the years after the White House, her style changed dramatically. Gone were the modest “campaign wife” clothes. The styles were changing and she certainly did not want to be stuck in the past.
She set styles just as she did as the President’s wife, but this time the clothes were different. Wide-leg pantsuits, blue jeans, large lapel jackets, silk Hermes head scarves and of course those large, round, dark sunglasses were her new look. She also experimented with different styles, sometimes wearing lots of jewelry, gypsy skirts, and hoop earrings with her hair pulled back. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis could rightly be called one of the most influential women in fashion. Her life may have ended much too soon, but her style has never died.
