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Clothes make the candidate
18/02/2008 12:04 - (SA)
St Louis - Clothes make the man, as the saying goes, and clothes can do their bit to make the candidate too.
The suits, sweaters, even the knot of a candidate's necktie, help shape public opinion in the US presidential race, whether voters realise it or not, fashion experts say.
"The clothes we wear send a message about how we want to be
perceived," fashion guru Tim Gunn said. "Even if voters were to
say, 'I don't pay attention to those things,' I think
subliminally they must."
Political candidates are "loaded with subliminal messages,"
said David Wolfe, creative director at Doneger Group retail
consultants.
"You take off your necktie, you're a man of the people. You
take off your jacket, you're even more a man of the people.
Roll up your sleeves, and oh, you're really serious," he said.
Men getting more attention than usual
While Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton, the only woman in
the White House race, gets the most attention for her
appearance, her male rivals are drawing more attention than
usual, said Stan Herman, former head of the Council of Fashion
Designers of America.
"Because there's a woman involved, a lot of people like
myself started looking to see if the guys were wearing peak or
notch lapels or two button- or three button-suits," he said.
Democratic Senator Barack Obama gets the highest praise from
fashionistas for his well-cut suits, which he started to wear
more often after winning the Iowa caucuses. Even his necktie is
fashionably knotted in a thick, full Windsor knot, a style
popular with men in their 20's and 30's, experts say.
While Obama's clothes are "fabulous", said Wolfe, he risks
looking as though he is trying too hard.
"As a fashion statement, it's venturing toward foppishness.
Should a presidential candidate care that much about his
necktie?" Wolfe asked.
Looking more presidential
Republican Senator John McCain often dresses casually in
sweaters, "trying to look like just plain folks," said said Patty Pao, head of the Pao Principle retail consultants. "I guarantee once he starts winning more primaries, he going to evolve into the more presidential look."
Republican Mike Huckabee's relaxed dress reflects his
campaign line that people would rather elect a president "who
reminds them of the guy they work with, not that guy who laid
them off," but it won't last if he gains ground in the
primaries, said Robert Burke
of Robert Burke Associates luxury consultants.
"I don't think you - in the near future - are going to
see a president with no tie and an open shirt," he said.
'Same dull pantsuits'
For Clinton, gone are the days of dated hair bands,
matronly skirts and brooches, replaced by well-cut pantsuits
with jewel-tone blouses and necklaces that brighten her face.
Only a few faux pas still exist, according to fashionistas,
such as a bright yellow jacket with black trim, dubbed her
'bumblebee suit' by reporters. "Yellow should not be her colour, said Irma Zandl of The Zandl Group trend research firm.
Gunn, known for his role on the hit reality show Project
Runway and chief creative officer at Liz Claiborne Inc, said
he is disappointed in Clinton's "same dull pantsuits".
"I just feel like she retreated back into menswear," he
said. "I feel like she's trying to be one of the guys."
No matter how carefully considered their outfits, however,
no candidate comes close to a catwalk look.
"Politicians as a whole are not known for a fashion sense,"
Burke said. "At the end of the day, they are going to do
whatever it takes to look the most professional and most
presidential."
- Reuters
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US Elections Special Report
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