Fashion Knows No Political Boundries: Condi’s Got It Going On and Pelosi’s Pantsuits Must Die
I never thought I’d be saying something so nice about Condoleezza Rice. But Karin Tanabe makes a good point in her HuffPost column today that Condi is one of the few female politicians who has figured out how to dress like a grown up without trying to look like a guy. I don’t love everything she wears, but I admire her brave wardrobe options.
Condoleezza “Have Wardrobe, Will Travel” Rice is one of the only power-wielding Washington women immune from the highly contagious pantsuit mania. Sure, she wears them but they’re in rotation with Akris separates and Oscar de la Renta mismatching pieces. Ever since she donned the infamous knee-high boots made for a lot more than walking at the Wiesbaden Army Airfield in 2005, she’s been slyly showing Washington that a woman in power can dress to identify herself, not as a means to hide. It’s a bold statement–more like Burlosconi in his expensive double-breasted suits or Don Corleone’s pinstripes than the predictable safe pantaloon of Hillary Clinton.
(note: Tanabe wrongly disses Michelle Obama — the puffy sleeves are actually fashionable and cover the arms in an age-appropriate manner. What can I say, I love a puffy sleeve, it camouflages my beefy arms. Anyway, Mrs. Obama is on Vanity Fair’s best dressed list this year. Case closed.)
Maybe it sounds stupid to call getting dressed in the morning “brave.” But think about how many column inches writers have devoted to Hillary Clinton’s hair, Jackie Kennedy’s elegance, and Nancy Pelosi’s suits. What you wear will be discussed. It makes the closet a scary place to visit.
The HuffPost article is largely about the horror of the pantsuit. I used to fall into this same trap. Interview or conferences always led to me at TJ Maxx buying a hideous suit, then feeling utterly uncomfortable at the event in question. I thought I had to tone it down and essentially look like a dude. But there’s power in embracing who you really are. Presenting your complete self to the world — the parts that are confident, intelligent and also feminine — rather than stifling the parts that don’t seem to fit with the status quo, can only make you stronger (if only because you’re more comfortable in your skin and therefore confident).
Robin Givhan put it best in her Washington Post article about Condi’s outfit for her 2005 appearance at the Wiesbaden Army Airfield:
Rice’s appearance at Wiesbaden — a military base with all of its attendant images of machismo, strength and power — was striking because she walked out draped in a banner of authority, power and toughness. She was not hiding behind matronliness, androgyny or the stereotype of the steel magnolia. Rice brought her full self to the world stage — and that included her sexuality. It was not overt or inappropriate. If it was distracting, it is only because it is so rare.