ELECTION Edition!

hello, biceps! “we are so used to women in politics covering their bodies and wearing clothes that don’t fit,” says D.c.-based stylist lauren a. rothman. “Here’s a woman who isn’t hiding her athleticism.”

the critics say... “she favors classic silhouettes, so her hair needs to be more modern,” says stacy london of tlc’s What Not to Wear.

she’d veto panty-hose! sounds like michelle wouldn’t wear them in the white House: she said on The View, “[they’re] painful...and [they] always rip.”

her own beltway london calls michelle’s belts (like the black favorite on three outfits here) “her single smartest style choice. they empha-size her femininity.”

who’s she wear-ing? political wives have often stuck to one designer, but michelle obama mixes it up. “she’s loyal to her personal style,” rothman says.

illusTraTion By sean mcCaBe

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2008

dos &don’Ts

the critics say... “I think she should avoid colors like pale yellow, light blue and khaki,” london offers. “on a pale blond they can create a chilly exterior.”

she loves her troops cindy mccain is a military wife and mother. this pin is a tribute to one of her sons, who’s serving in the marines.

lady in red cindy boldly wore red leather on the campaign trail. “surprisingly sexy, but she’s not getting the vegan vote!” says london.

she brought back the turtle-neck! Her soft t-neck sweaters “look great and make a suit more sporty,” says rothman.

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In November you’ll be voting on

substance, not style. But women in D.C. know that what they wear still

counts. Here, our nominations for the Dos & Don’ts of the

2008 political season. (The candidates tackle weightier issues in our

October issue, we swear!)

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The New Political HairThere used to be one acceptable hairstyle for women in politics, and it bore an uncanny resemblance to a bicycle helmet. Today, female politicians are putting away their Aqua Net. “Now these women can find a look that brings out their best features and makes a statement,” says Andre Chreky, a D.C. stylist whose clients include White House Press Secretary Dana Perino. Above, our favorite hair Dos.

No sooner is a presidential campaign over than the real pressure begins for a new First lady: what to wear to the Inaugural ball? Her gown will forever define her and set the tone for her husband’s administration, but hey, no biggie. check out these brave black-tie moments from the prom night watched by the entire free world.

WaTCh ThaT dress

Hillary’s first gown by sarah phillips got mixed reviews.

the press was lukewarm on laura bush’s dress, made by a texas designer.

rosalynn carter got flack for rewearing a six-year-old gown.

the $10,000 tag on Nancy reagan’s 1981 gown raised eyebrows.

or Far Too long the most important fashion decision a politician had to make was: blue tie or red tie? These days we have plenty of women in power, but their fashion code is more complicat-ed. A less-than-beloved

inaugural gown can cause a stream of neg-ative press. A too-short skirt can scar a rep-utation for years. It’s no wonder that most women on the Hill tend to save their cre-ativity for bills and speeches. You want your ideas to stand out, not your outfit.

As a host of NPR’s All Things Consid-ered, I’ve lived and worked in Washington for seven years, and I’ve noticed that in such a conservative milieu (and I’m talk-ing fashion, not politics), tiny subtleties in a wardrobe make a major difference. Things that would go unnoticed in other arenas—a colorful scarf, say—are big statements in politics. The conventional wisdom is that you can tell if a woman is liberal or conservative based on the amount of makeup she’s wearing: Red staters pile it on; blue staters keep it sim-ple. You can tell which congresswomen are balancing work and family by the cord their credentials hang from: If it’s plain, she’s childless; if it’s on a macaroni neck-lace, she has little ones. You can guess a staffer’s schedule for the day based on whether she’s wearing pantyhose: If she is, she’ll be seen on the Congressional floor; if not, she’s probably doing research.

These subtle signals can make Wash-ington a very hard place for a woman to find her personal style. But, believe me, it still happens. We’ve had some trail-blazers lay the groundwork—former Congresswoman Susan Molinari break-ing the women-don’t-wear-pants barrier on the House floor circa 1990, Condo-leezza Rice in vampy black boots. Every day, women in capitols all over the coun-try look fantastic as they take care of our nation’s business.

And that makes me optimistic about style and politics. Take Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. She is second in line to the presidency, and she shows up to work in fitted Armani power suits—a Democrat in Republican red, to show us that party lines know no real color. This kind of thing trickles down, and I think that’s great: It’s time for Washington’s style to catch up to its substance. —Andrea Seabrook

fcalifornia first lady

maria shriver we applaud shriver, who

has long ignored the political tradition of shellacked hair.

kansas governor kathleen sebelius we’re all in favor of a

woman who isn’t afraid of flaunting her gray.

former cia operative valerie plame

Nicole Kidman may play plame in a movie. with hair like this, plame could play herself!

congresswoman stephanie herseth sandlin

she heard lots of complaints about her highlights—and

kept them anyway.

white house press secretary dana perino

perino’s polished bob is sophisticated and sexy without

looking too stuffy. bravo!

congresswoman sheila jackson lee

D.c. stylist andre chreky loves “her signature

braided crown. so regal!”

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hillary, we loved your pantsuits!

bright-color-loving senator Hillary rodham clinton joked that it took “six black pantsuits” to win her congressional seat in New York, but when she ran for the Democratic nomination this year, she threw caution to

the wind and was seen in pretty much every color but black. way to work the rainbow, Hillary!

cher only in this country can two women with such dra-matically different takes on the role of hairspray find unity.

michael jackson Jacko sported a pseudomilitary look complete with a (self-awarded) medal.

joan kennedy wearing such a short dress to the white House was a bold move. It looks like pat Nixon is trying hard not to stare!

Check out the duds celebs wore to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. We’re pretty sure the Secret Service had to search Cher’s wig!

What A-Listers Wear to the White House

elvis presley the King asked Nixon to make him a federal agent, saying he’d researched “drug abuse and commu-nist brainwashing.”

jessica simpson on one visit, simpson told then secretary of the Interior gale Norton, “I really like what you’ve done with the place!” later she explained, “I had no idea that she was a member of the cabinet, not an interior decorator!”

sarah jessica parker Did s.J.p. drop by an Indigo girls concert before her 1999 visit with president clinton?

we asked more than 150 women to name these women’s political parties based on appearance alone. lots

of them picked wrong. could you do better?

Can you Guess her party?

demoCraT?

lINDSEY CoStEllo, 24 48% think she’s a Democrat“She seems like a hipster, which means she’s probably liberal.”—Courtney Winegar, 26, New York CitySurprise—she’s a republican!“i’m pretty religious, and the republican party is in line with my beliefs.”

rENu pIllar, 2551% think she’s a Democrat“She has an easygoing style and looks like she wants change.”—Tamara Crockett, 27, AtlantaYup, a Democrat.“my parents aren’t citizens, but they’re political—they’re for obama just like i am. my mom doesn’t speak english, but she watches him all day.”

HEIDI SEttE, 3467% think she’s a republican“She looks like she could shoot a shotgun...with dick cheney!”—Sara Phipps, 22, Grand Island, Neb.Surprise—she’s a Democrat!““i was a young republican in college, but that changed when i became a social worker. it’s amazing that 30 million people don’t have health care.”

repuBliCan?

aNDrEa BorDEaux, 2170% think she’s a Democrat“She looks like she goes with the popular thing.” —Stephanie Wasserberger, 23, Portland, Ore.Surprise—she’s an Independent!“i don’t identify with any of the parties. i just go by who i like on issues that are most important.”

demoCraT? demoCraT?

Designer Ann Hand’s accesso-ries are to D.C. power brokers what Zac Posen’s red-carpet creations are to L.A. superstars. Her Liberty Eagle pin has been worn by Hillary Clinton, Betty Ford, Barbara Bush and Tipper Gore. Will her spar-kly, candidate-declaring sunglasses be just as popular?

The mOSTPOWerFUl

BliNg iN POliTiCS

trench coats “do pick a bright tailored trench to top your somber work clothes. don’T get over-whelmed by an ill-fitting coat.”

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id tags “so you’ve got major white House access. the guy making your turkey sandwich doesn’t need to know about it. don’T wear your lanyard and ID tag outside the office.”

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segways “a green do in a city that could use a little less hot air.”

funky tights (red tights): we admire the instinct to add whimsy to an ensemble, but fire engine red tights are best left to toddlers or the republi-can convention.

funky tights “we’re all for the

naughty schoolgirl look, but tights that

could be gift-bag swag from the local

poison control center are a deadly

don’T!”sneakers

“are you kidding? unless you had

to jog to work on the beltway, sneak-

ers and business attire are a don’T to end all don’Ts.”

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colorful bags “the safest way

to show personality in the halls of

government is with a statement bag. It’s

a do that can be easily stowed

at a congressional hearing or when

a situation demands sobriety.”

scarves “Nancy pelosi used scarf diplomacy when she wore them in the middle east last year. In D.c., that’s an endorsement for scarves as a chic wardrobe do.”

Behold the most important rule of style in Washing-ton, D.C.: Never give your critics anything to talk about. If “running the world” is a career goal, strive to look feminine but not too sexy, powerful but not like an Iron Lady. It’s a tall order but one that hun-

dreds of Washington women pull off every day. Glamour hit the streets of D.C., then asked Pulitzer Prize–

winning Washington Post style editor Robin Givhan to tell us who got it right and who

needs an image adjustment.

The dos & don’Ts oF

WashinGTon