WASHINGTON – Each politician’s wife has a certain style. Mrs. Obama’s fashion sense has caused dresses she’s worn to sell out. Mrs. Romney’s style was most recently noticed when she wore the Reed Audubon silk shirt on CBS “This Morning.” I wrote about it and recently talked to Ruth La Ferma from the New York Times on the subject of Ann Romney’s style. From the New York Times, Fashion – Style section (link below in original article):
… Her look was rarely more of-the-moment than on “CBS This Morning” last month, when Mrs. Romney wore a $990 Reed Krakoff blouse emblazoned with an exotic bird that winged its way toward her right breast. That turnout provoked criticism, with viewers chiding Mrs. Romney as insensitive to the economic struggles of ordinary Americans and, for that matter, to the prickly issue of her husband’s personal wealth. Others, predictably, wrung their hands, bemoaning her questionable fashion sense.
Stylish or not, the blouse may have revealed a deeper agenda. “It was a real step out for her,” said Taylor Marsh, a political analyst and the author of “The Hillary Effect: Politics, Sexism and the Destiny of Loss.” “I hadn’t seen her do something so individual. I really think she was saying: ‘This is who I am. I like this shirt. So take your best shot.’ ”
I’ve been told it hardly matters to anything important what the style of Mrs. Romney’s is and how she displays it. I’m sure that’s true for many voters. It sure won’t solve the crisis in Syria. Some treat Ann Romney as if her wealth makes her uninteresting and unworthy of considering on style or any other matter. Her importance to Mitt Romney as a spark to his dead wood and how she’s blasted on to the scene with strength and ease is part of the campaign now and what she wears while doing it is worth noting, especially when she doesn’t shirk from being who she is. A woman who can afford to buy what she likes, including a $900 dollar silk shirt emblazoned with birds.
“She is all over the map,” said Lisa A. Kline, the fashion stylist responsible for “Wardrobegate,” as Sarah Palin’s $150,000-plus fashion makeover became known. “From a stylist’s perspective, she needs to have a signature consistent with her role.” [Ann Romney is Writing her Own Dress Code, by Ruth La Ferma]
Maybe it’s a whatever mood strikes kind of thing.
Of course, it’s not a cool time to be comfortable with wealth, even if it’s your reality. It’s odd, but the attitude seems to be that people would rather see Mrs. Romney in a work shirt and khakis even if that image is a lie.
Taylor Marsh, a veteran political analyst and former Huffington Post contributor, is the author of The Hillary Effect, available at Barnes and Noble and on Amazon. Her new-media blog www.taylormarsh.com covers national politics, women and power.