Great column, check it out

I just want to point everyone's attention to a masterfully written column by Post ombudsman Deborah Howell on the Hillary cleavage conundrum. And here is an excerpt that I reiterate all the time about this very site.

There's a bigger issue about her Clinton piece: Does this have anything to do with whether Clinton should be president? Not a thing. But do we want to read the column about her cleavage? Yes indeed. It was the most viewed story on the Web site all day. So was a recent story on John Edwards's hairdresser.

This is how women should dress on the Hill

Rachel over at Project Beltway snapped this shot of Linda Daschle (Tom's lobbyist wife) and Abigail Blunt (Roy's lobbyist wife) at a Hill newspaper party last week and I think it is just a fantastic example of how politicos can do to a feminine and chic suit. They're both sexy and you don't even see any cleavage - Hillary, again, take note. The hues are perfect for summer and can clearly take you from day to evening with no problem.

– Rachel Cothran at Project Beltway

Project Beltway weighs in on the flats vs. heel dilema

Because there is no real politics going on in Washington right now (sense the sarcasim?), a political newspaper decided to write about a pressing issue: High heels on the Hill. (OK, I know it's the pot calling the kettle, but I'm at least up front about the fact that this is primarily a fashion site...) At least they quoted blogger Rachel Cothran from Project Beltway. So, here is an excerpt from the earth-shattering, breaking-news report:

For the woman who works on Capitol Hill, high heels can present a fashion dilemma. Does she slip on a pair and risk the discomfort keeping up with her tall boss while walking down those marble hallways? Or does she sacrifice style and scrap the pumps? ...

... “I’m a heels gal, even though it’s risky when your boss is a fast-walking Marine,” said Jessica Smith, deputy spokeswoman for Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.). ...

... Rachel Cothran, creator of Project Beltway, a D.C. fashion blog, has mixed feelings. “I love and hate heels all at once,” she said. “While they do make your legs look longer and inject a tried-and-true dose of femininity to your boring Hill outfit, they can literally be a pain.

“There’s nothing worse than limping through the Hart [Senate Office Building] hallways with five Band-Aids flapping around your ankles. And I will never understand why those cobblestone walkways were installed outside of Union Station, of all places. That being said, I know plenty of women who say they simply don’t feel pretty or in charge in flats.” ...

To read the entire piece, click here...

Well, Rachel continued her thoughts on her blog:

I’ve found a happy medium to be a wedge shoe, which provides height without sacrificing comfort. I find curvy, more feminine styles as opposed to chunky ones most flattering—there’s already a lot of shoe going on. You wouldn’t want to look like you have a brick attached to your foot.

For a while there, I swore off heels completely. However, once I realized that height wasn’t really the problem but rather the construction of the heel, I was a believer once again. Well-made shoes can really be an epiphany for heels, and well-made does not necessarily have to mean expensive. I love stacked heels and conical shapes have a retro vibe. They’re all over the retail stores, but you could easily look in vintage and consignment shops. Skinny heels often look too dainty for everyday outfits, and if you’re like me, you wear out the heel tips in less than five wearings. ...

... Hillrats needn’t be afraid of color or of showing toes, says an anonymous PB spy, who saw Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-Minn.) wearing “the cutest open-toe green heels the other day…lime and kelly-green, maybe two-inch heels.” They should just steer clear of what the anonymous Hillgoer called stripper heels: “never okay.”

Then she goes on to give some examples of Hill-appropriate shoes - most of which I dislike, and some of which I feel aren't Hill worthy - but it's a good go. But her list of shoes made me want to do my own list. I am not including any flats, because I don't think they're appropriate (even though I wear them all the time), nor anything with too high of a heel because I'm trying to be realistic here. And for some real-life inspiration, keep an eye out for Condi and usually Laura's peds. So here are my picks for walking the marble come this fall, and "they're the coolest kicks in the cave," as Kelso would say.

Classic in-between flat pump
AK Anne Klein Sportella ($79)
A comfortable 2-inch heel
* I just bought these and they're great

Suede round-toe with a slight metallic edge
Taryn Rose Suede Pumps ($495)
A sleek 2 1/2-chunky heel

A suede wedge with a perforated twist
Dolce Vita Ferrera 2 ($105)
A 2-inch plastic heel
* Also available in cranberry, but most pols can't get away with that

Penny loafers for the 21st century
J. Crew Katy tumbled-leather heels ($178)
A sturdy 2 3/4-stacked heel

Sassy sweetheart detailing on simple pump
BP. 'Lavender' Suede Pump ($59.95)
A lofty 3 1/2-inch sturdy heel
* Also available in patent and my favorite-for-fall color, gray

Suede and patent come together
Kenneth Cole New York True Love ($195)
A not-as-steep-as-it-looks 3 1/2-inch heel

Logo medallion vamped
Tory Burch Betty Suede Pump ($295)
A platform sole, so the heel isn't all that high...

A matte satin mishap waiting in muggy D.C.
Bettye Muller Norell ($400)
A modest 3 1/2-inch heel

I plan on doing some sort of suit-fashion piece soon - with lots of examples for the female fashionistas working those Capitol steps - defintely before the end of recess, so Hillary, keep on the look out.

Clinton's jacket a subject for debate

After Edwards' comment at the debates last week a whole can of worms was opened and there were a lot of google searches that popped up my site. Needless to say, Julie Hinds at the Detroit Free Press found my rants on Hillary's seemingly limited wardrobe from last month and quoted the site - she probably would have quoted me if I didn't get back to her four days too late... Who did get quoted, however? None other than my favorite reporter and my not-so-favorite non-newspaper (I wont mention names, but it's obvious if you read the article and live in D.C.).

On another note, before I let you read the story, I'd like to point out that in this photo, not only is Edwards' wearing one of those bracelets, but also his jacket is pulling oddly and his arms aren't even outstretched - what's going on?

Anyway, here is bits from the piece:

... Some pundits gave Edwards a dressing down for the crack. "Write this down, guys: Attack her policies, attack her past votes, attack her personality ... but don't attack what she's wearing. It looks sexist and cheap," opined Politico.com's Roger Simon.

"I hope his wife gave him a good smack upside the head afterward," wrote Lisa Takeuchi Cullen on her Time blog. ...

... Clinton appears to own blue and yellow quilted jackets that seem nearly identical to the coral one, according to photos posted on D.C. Pleats.

"Does she own anything non-textured?" asks a headline on the politics/fashion blog. Postings describe the jackets as scary and horrid.

"I thought the jacket looked fabulous," says Helena Andrews, who covers pop culture for Politico.com and called Edwards' joke lame in a column. "She looked very sleek."

So did some of the men onstage, but their clothing wasn't a debate topic. ...

To read the whole story, click here...

– AP Photo/Charles Dharapak

Rethinking the bracelet: Pin, set, match

While watching Fox News Sunday this morning with my boyfriend, he pointed out the fact that Fred Barnes was wearing a teal plastic bracelet (probably for prostate cancer, though a google search didn't show any correlation), and I thought about my posting again. So I don't really have any problem with the idea of the bracelets, I mean they're ugly, but that's not really my issue here. It's about wearing them with business suits - it just doesn't really work. I think the much more appropriate item to wear would be a lapel pin, or even a tie tack, or even both! in the shape of the cancer ribbon. Everyone's been wearing the American flag pin to show their patriotism, but you can even combine the two (see pin at left). This is a much more classy option for political figures who want to express their cause.

– AP

Hillary's such a repeat offender

So at least she ditched the coral jacket for a day, but why would Hill wear the ruffles again? I'd much rather see a little V-neck cleavage action with a simple jacket for the Senator at the Friday National Urban League conference. She dresses so much more Buffalo than New York.

– AP Photo/Jeff Roberson

The debate, a week too late

I don't want to keep apologizing in every entry for my slacking blogging. I promise come August you will have me wholeheartedly and I will comment to all of your hearts' desires on our Congressional power players' recess attire - which I am sure will be atrocious since it'll be mainly campaigning with "the people."


Now, to the post. Thanks to reader Becky for forwarding me this link. I wasn't sure what the anonymous commenter meant when he/she asked for me to comment on John Edwards' comment. And still wasn't even aware when I got an e-mail from a reporter at the Detroit Free Press asking my opinion on Hilary's jacket from the debate. That's how crazy this week leading up to recess has been! Now I know. And he was right on. "I'm not sure about that coat..." Of course he's not, who is? Why would Obama stick up for it? He has better taste than that - it must have been a political tactic. Why does she keep wearing that hideous quilted disaster? Branding herself maybe? I do think I have said my peace on this topic, just follow the thread...

My last note: This is a really lousy 100th post. It just shows, though, that I have some fantastic readers who help me out when I'm struggling to keep up and that there's national interest in my blog (which is something I only dreamt of when I started this just a couple months ago)! Thanks to everyone for sticking with me and I do promise it'll be all that much better by post 150, 200 and beyond.

The Hill 50 Most Beautiful list: The day after

I know I should have commented in some way about yesterday's release of Capitol Hill's beautiful people list, but I've been too busy planning my August recess vacation and haven't been keeping up with my blogging, sorry. So here is my rant...

And I thought you couldn't get any shallower than The Hill's Top 50 Most Beautiful People... but I was wrong. Patrick Gavin was on MSNBC talking about the list (what they couldn't get someone from newspaper that actually wrote it?). Here are some highlights of his interview:

"Politians are getting better looking. I mean you just look at the presidential debate going on now, they're not kidding when they say when a candidate looses weight they're thinking about jumping in, because looks really do matter. So there is some truth to this sort of shallow politics."

"In this town power is definitely an aphrodisiac."

"If you have a great job, a great business card, that does go a long way in this town."

"Just look at the field now. Everyone worries about Hillary Clinton's clothes, or, you know, Rudy Guilliani's balding, or Fred Thompson's weight, or Al Gore's weight or anybody's weight. And so because of TV, Internet, YouTube, it's such a fulltime job at this point. Abraham Lincoln got away with it; he couldn't get away with it nowadays." – Responding to a question about if looks matter for politicians during the elections

On another MSNBC show, Jeff Dufour comments on the same Hill hotties list - and Yea (as I like to call him, since Patrick is definitely more the Nea) is much more serious about the topic, here talking about why Nancy Pelosi made the list:

DUFOUR: Nancy Pelosi is, I think, she obviously gets points for the House Speaker and being in that prominent position. But Pelosi's become sort of a style icon in the way that first ladies I don't think have been.
MSNBC: I mean she's 67 years old...
DUFOUR: Sixty-seven years old
MSNBC: ...and she's considered a hottie!?!
DUFOUR: Yeah. Six grandkids. A lot of people have raised questions of plastic surgery with her. But she looks great. She wears Armani almost exclusively. And really spreads her wings as a fashion plate really more than a lot of other women in Washington feel comfortable doing.

– Hill photographers

Chertoff looks human for once

Not much to say about this photo taken Friday in Long Beach, Calif., just that Rep. Jane Harman looks very well-manicured and stylish in a just-right-for-summer cream suit and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff actually looks human with his unbuttoned collar and sunglasses. Nice.

– AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes

Hillary's dip into new neckline territory

I know I am really late on this, but I promise to be better with August recess slowing things down A LOT! Robin Givhan on Hillary's cleavage (the article's pretty interesting, I am just going to give you the intro, but if you have time, read the whole thing.) It caused quite a stir in blogs across the nation - and while I don't really think it's worth a stir (not like the jacket) - it's well written, though I think it has a slight political bias, but whatever...

There was cleavage on display Wednesday afternoon on C-SPAN2. It belonged to Sen. Hillary Clinton.

She was talking on the Senate floor about the burdensome cost of higher education. She was wearing a rose-colored blazer over a black top. The neckline sat low on her chest and had a subtle V-shape. The cleavage registered after only a quick glance. No scrunch-faced scrutiny was necessary. There wasn't an unseemly amount of cleavage showing, but there it was. Undeniable.

It was startling to see that small acknowledgment of sexuality and femininity peeking out of the conservative - aesthetically speaking - environment of Congress. After all, it wasn't until the early '90s that women were even allowed to wear pants on the Senate floor. It was even more surprising to note that it was coming from Clinton, someone who has been so publicly ambivalent about style, image and the burdens of both.

To read the entire article, click here...

Photos of the Past Couple Weeks

I know it's been a couple weeks - a very busy couple of weeks for this blogger (I can't believe I just referred to myself in the third-person!) - but here are my Photos of the Month Thus Far. I know it's a little long... Also, I highly recommend checking out DCist for they're photos of the day and Flickr group.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and other Senate and House Democratic leaders participate in Tuesday night’s candlelight vigil for a "Call to Action" on Iraq. As a side, I just think Roll Call photographers hit the mark more often than not - they've just got a great eye.

– Tom Williams/Roll Call

A person walks past a large window in the Russell Senate office building Wednesday.

– AP Photo/Susan Walsh

Rep. Tim Walberg - decked out in his suit, loafers and heltmet - parks his Harley-Davidson near the Capitol’s East Steps for National Ride to Work Day.

– Bill Clark/Roll Call

President Bush delivers remarks on the federal budget on July 11 in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building - it's just perfectly framed.

– AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

She's in a league - er, row - of her own. Veteran White House correspondent Helen Thomas sits in her brand-new assigned seat located in the front row before the ribbon-cutting ceremony July 11 for the renovated James S. Brady Press Briefing Room in the White House.

– AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

A gorgeous shot of D.C. youth doing illegal things on the Fourth of July, taken by a local Flickrer.

– alex.DC on Flickr

Fourth of July fireworks seen over the Potomac, taken by a local Flikrer.

– epmd on Flickr

One of the technically impressive shots from a photo essay consisting of 25 amazing shots taken via cell phone, and you would never know it. They are a quite interesting mix of local culture. Check it out here...

Former Playboy Playmates Lauren Anderson and Laura Guttridge, clad in lettuce bikinis, peddle veggie dogs to some very sleepy Congressmen at PETA’ annual Capitol Hill Veggie Dog Giveaway outside of the Rayburn House Office Building on Wednesday.

– Bill Clark/Roll Call

The '90s are back, in ruffly form

Wow, when you think Hill's fashion sense can't get any worse, she shows up to deliver a speech to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund wearing a straight-from-the-90s ruffle-collard shirt with some sort of geometric floral pattern. Seriously, can someone please get her a fashion consultant?!?

– AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

Livestrong trend die hard

So after I saw the photo of Tony Snow (see previous entry) and then after I came across this pic of FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach testifying on Capitol Hill (nice cuff links, just ditch the yellower-than-now bracelet), I wondered: When did it become OK to wear these so-2004 plastic bracelets with professional attire. And I secretly want to know which causes these men are supporting. I guess it's just me... Anybody else have an opinion - or more importantly, know what the bracelet says?

– AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke

****UPDATE****
After some Googling, I discovered that the White House press office handed out yellow bracelets to reporters in May that say "Tony Snow," who was just overcoming cancer himself. I am assuming now that he is wearing a bracelet with his name on it - like an ID tag, just plastically delicious.

Snow makes vision blurry

Pinstripe may not play well on TV,
but those new flat screens sure are nice.


I haven't seen that powerful of pinstripe in summer since, well, since I don't know when. It's very Godfather-esque and I'm not so sure it's the right look for Mr. Snow. Our press secretary is overpowered by the thick stripe - and though this is a photograph, I'm sure it didn't reproduce well on TV. I do have to say, however - and the real reason I even looked at this photo - those video screens in the new press room are quite nice and helpful in presenting the news. That and more comfortable seats.

No comment on the plastic, as-bright-as-the-sun bracelet or the large BandAid (poor Tony, what happened?) on his right hand.

– AP Photo/Ron Edmonds

In memory of a classy lady

I'm not going to say anything, just show you how gorgeous Lady Bird was throughout her tenure. She'll be greatly missed.

– All photos from AP Archives

****UPDATE****
Read this interesting article by Robin Givhan.

Just one look at that smirk...

I don't have anything to say, he's just so cute! Rob Lowe was in town today, testifying before the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming hearing on the potential of plug-in hybrid vehicles.

–AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke

K Street, here's a new propsal to lobby for

Take heed D.C. officials, it's hot outside! Mark Kleiman rather sarcastically comments on the EU's proposal to ban neckties in summer:

... The excuse is energy conservation; men with open collars (and no jackets) presumably can tolerate warmer offices, saving on air-conditioning.

Whatever.

Getting rid of that ugly, expensive, and uncomfortable badge of middle-classness will certainly improve the quality of EU decision-making by improving the oxygen supply to the brains of the Eurocrats, and perhaps making them less pompous. ...

Who would have expected such a great blow for hippie/Boomer/Angeleno culture to come from Brussels, of all places?

– AP Photo/Thierry Charlier

Parakeets and palms on the Hill

This photo's a couple weeks old, but I just came across it. John Kerry's wearing an orange tie with parakeets and palm trees - very Nantucket. I'm not really sure how I feel. I kind of like it, I have to admit; at least he's having some fun with fashion. Any opinions?

– AP Photo/Dennis Cook

****UPDATE****
Again, after posting, I noticed that the colors of the tie are very close the the dots on the site's design...

Sorry, he's just asking for it

Sen. Biden, just a word of advice, you're from Delaware, not Florida - loose the Miami look!

– AP Photo/Cheryl Senter

Does she own anything non-textured?

More of the same quilted textures, more of the faux-French cuff, more of the same turquoise blue, but this time it's got a fake double-breasted lapel. Did she get a deal on the fabric or did she buy out the entire line of jackets from Chico's? No word yet from the HilCamp.

– AP Photo/Alex Brandon

State meetings: Why-are-we-meeting-with-Macedonia edition

There are four fashion statements I'd like to compliment in this photo (best viewed if you click on it and make it large):

1. First off, I love Condi's peep-toe pumps, which have been showing up all over the White House lately (the first lady wore a pair yesterday, too). Finally, there is some exception to the stiff rule of no open-toe shoes. Peep toes are a great summer shoe - allowing a little air to flow while maintaining modesty and class (plus you can show off your pedicure). It's nice to see that politicians are trying to stay somewhat on top of the trends.

2. Just look at that bootylishousness (sp?) on the Secretary of State!

3. I know that skinny ties are trying to become a fashion trend for men, but I just love the big knots you get from thicker ties. The diagonal-stripe number on the Macedonian Foreign Minister, Antonio Milososki, just looks so chic (just ignore the fact his jacket is two sizes too big for him).

4. Not really fashion, but I just check out the decor of the State Department. I love the combination of the eggshell paint and all of the crystal. I guess that's where all our tax dollars are going...

– AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

Well, he did say no more bow ties

"I am standing in my kitchen in my boxer shorts."

- Tucker Carlson on Monday morning, during a phone
interview with MSNBC
... It's all about the visual







– ABC's "Dancing With The Stars" via palmbeachpost.com

Sightings, with fashion in mind

Yeas & Nays spies called in the following recent sightings:

• Disgraced former congressman Mark Foley in Bethany Beach, Del., on Saturday night, shopping in the baked good sections of a local grocery store. Foley was sporting a summer look: sunglasses around the neck and a polo shirt.

• The Bush twins having fun last week at Adams Mill in Adams Morgan. Our source was blown away by Jenna’s “gorgeous green dress.” Naturally, the girls had a handful of preppy-looking boys surrounding them, and a man who could be pegged only as part of the first daughters’ Secret Service entourage was overheard bugging the bouncer about when the bar would announce “Last call!” “Jenna looked great and was enjoying standing outside with her cigarette talking to her tall, country-club-looking friends who appeared to be 35-plus,” our spy said. “Barbara had a nice-looking black dress on and [had] what looked like a Jager bomb towards the end of the night.” Bottoms up.

To read all of YAN, click here...

53 and looking fabulous

In an interview in this month's edition of Harper's Bazaar, Cindy McCain talks about how she coped with having several miscarriages, recovered from a stroke, overcame a prescription-drug addiction and her 27-year marriage to GOP presidential hopeful John McCain. And so what, a bunch or people are giving her a hard time because she's confusing her quotes, or something along those lines, but like I've said before: this isn't a politics Web site, it's fashion. She just looks fabulous for 53! I'm not sure why she was styled in a so-so $62,ooo Dior gown, but her hair and makeup were perfection.

– Photos by John Huba/Harper's Bazaar