Dan's Papers - November 7, 2008 - The First Ladies of Fashion

By the time this issue is published, we will have a new first lady preparing to move into the White House. This year's campaign has brought a lot of attention to women's fashion. A first lady can bear a strong influence on the fashion industry by creating trends and new styles.

A sense of personal style is essential and a necessary part of being first lady. First lady Jacqueline Kennedy represented style at its best. She loved her French designers and they loved to dress her. Chanel, Givenchy and Oleg Cassini were at the top of her list. Kennedy graced us with a signature look that included: pillbox hats, three quarter length sleeves (very popular this season with designers), over blouse dresses and boxy jackets. Her trendy style choices worked well and offered the world of fashion the opportunity to step out-of-the-box of those traditional church lady suits and dresses. Kennedy's elegant style created as much attention in 1960 as it does today.

Hillary Clinton always dresses smart. She had eight years of hits and misses while President Bill Clinton was in office, but she eventually developed her own sense of style. She was known for selecting bold colors and making pantsuits (Susanna Chung Forest designs all of Hillary's pantsuits) popular again. Yellow is her favorite.

The one thing we can say about our current first lady, Laura Bush, is that she always looks polished. Bush loves to wear form fitted dresses and suits. This style is extremely flattering. Oscar de la Renta is one of her favorites. She never has a hair out of place and her make-up always looks impeccable.

Michelle Obama has selected smart choices that are conservative yet elegant. Sheath and A-line style dresses, big beaded necklaces or pearls and wide belts have been the trend for Obama. Her personal style is casual, yet sophisticated (never too much). Remember, one of the biggest rules in fashion - less is more. Perhaps that's why Vanity Fair voted Obama as one of their best dressed for 2008?

At this year's Republican National Convention, Cindy McCain wore a dress by Oscar de la Renta, 3-carat diamond earrings, a Chanel watch, a luxurious four strand pearl necklace and designer shoes (estimated cost for this ensemble $300,000.) McCain always looks perfect and definitely has the budget for those high-end fashion choices, making her personal style much more couture and less casual.

Many factors go into selecting the right ensemble and when you're in the public eye, there is little room for error. Who's to say which style is better? It's all a matter of taste and opinion. Obama and McCain are as different as the parties they represent. Fashion is not unlike politics. Fashion is about change, about being bold and about making the right choice. We look forward to watching the fashion choices over the next four years. A fresh look is what we need.