The Pantsuit Profile
female politicians (not) dressing with flair
Fashion and electoral politics are not ordinarily associated with one another. Occasionally, someone like the stylish Afghani president, Hamid Karzai, will show up. With his signature combination of Nehru-collared shirts, jacket, and waistcoat—all topped with a furry hat—Karzai is quite the chic dresser. More frequently, though, conservative suits featuring classic, well-cut designs are the go-to outfits in the political world.
But in recent years, the world has been introduced to a new breed of politician—fashionable, aggressive, and female.
Throughout Western history, three things seem to define women in power: their outfits, their brutal politics, or a combination of the two. We remember Marie Antoinette’s frothy, confectionery dresses and Elizabeth I’s massive ruffs. Her sister Mary I, meanwhile, was popularly known as “Bloody Mary” for her massacre of dissenting citizens. Still other warrior queens, like Boudicca and Dido of Carthage, are defined by their ferocity, while former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has been unfortunately dubbed “Attila the Hen.” Gloria Arroyo, current president of the Philippines, is infamous for her colossal jewelry and shoe collections. Even former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has been nicknamed the “Titanium Lady” in reference to Maggie’s “Iron Lady.”
Indeed Thatcher, with her heat-set curls and pearls, was more often known for her fashion choices and her handbag speeches than her policies. Film director Neil Jordan has even referenced her style for his recent movie, Breakfast on Pluto. The main character, transgendered Cillian Murphy, was dressed in an ’80s power suit with padded Margiela-esque shoulders that could have come straight out of Thatcher’s wardrobe—or any Beltway wardrobe, for that matter, where shorter hair, a boxy suit, and sensible pumps are the norm. Despite the odd attempts to mix it up, like Albright’s conversation-piece brooches, this remains a fairly standard formula.
Perhaps to make the media focus more on her policies and less on her personal style, presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton has stuck with standard solid-colored pantsuits throughout her political career. Earlier on, she stuck to blacks and muted shades, but now on the campaign trail, she is branching out color-wise.
Perhaps she is still playing it safe, because when it comes to the style stakes, it seems she can do no right. For someone who has in the past been so castigated for her fashion and hairstyle choices, the colorful pantsuit combo is probably the safest and most inconspicuous choice.
At a debate in July last year, she chose to wear a dusky pink jacket over a black v-neck top, with just a hint of cleavage showing. She looked confident, stylish, and even feminine. Even this, however, led to round after round of disparaging criticism, not unlike her favorite hair accessory: the much-maligned headband. The pantsuits were probably handpicked to erase unsightly reminders that she is a woman in power.
Her new look is working for her. It has earned her a coveted stamp of approval from “Kaiser” Karl Lagerfeld. Widely recognized as one of fashion’s most influential voices, he has declared Clinton as his favorite. “You have no real idea what she is wearing. She is so clever and so brilliant that you see only her face—but also what she wears is right,” Lagerfeld says in WWD. “You never really look at it because one is fascinated by her intelligence. But there is never a gimmick or bad detail either.”
Other women in politics seem happy to take more fashion risks, even while sticking to fairly conservative dress codes. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is known for her love of elegant designer suits, especially Armani. Her preferred accessory—necklaces featuring large, perfectly cultured pearls—even became fairly trendy for a while. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice takes Pelosi’s daring a step further, adding a dash of sex appeal with dramatic coats and patent knee-high boots.
All of these touches exist to tone down the apprehension many feel when confronted with the notion of a powerful woman. It’s not dissimilar to the way in which women like Hillary, Maggie, or Condi are known primarily by their first names, sometimes even of their own accords.
Indeed, for women, style proves to be crucial in the political arena. It is not something they can dismiss, because style can affect people’s perceptions far more than policy, as evidenced by a recent presidential debate. While her fellow participants were fielding tough questions on immigration, health care, and U.S. wars in the Middle East, Hillary was instead asked if she preferred diamonds or pearls. Similarly, designer Isaac Mizrahi says in WWD, “If I don’t like someone’s appearance, I won’t consider getting to know them on any level, let alone vote for them for office.”
If women who hold power seek to masculinize themselves in order to maintain a professional appearance, it is perhaps unsurprising that politicians’ wives do very much the opposite. From stylized housewives, to style icons like Jacqueline Onassis, to supermodels like French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s wife, Carla Bruni, all share a sense of hyper-femininity. Female politicians, however, go to great lengths to neutralize or control evidence of their womanliness. For now, it seems Hillary and Nancy will be sticking with pantsuits and pearls.