Politics and beyond: A year of inspiration

McClatchy Newspapers

Published Sunday, January 11, 2009

Politics makes strange bedfellows, and one of them threw off the covers looking flush, refreshed and just a little bit naughty this year: fashion.

FAME OR INFAMY?

● Hefty-bag chic: Tilda Swinton in Lanvin at the Oscars.

● Geek glasses: Kanye West.

● Purple: Everywhere.

● Dark nails: Goth goes glamorous.

● So-low swim trunks: Michael Phelps.

● Baggy boyfriend jeans: Katie Holmes.

● Studded belts: Sarah Jessica Parker in "SATC" and Michelle Obama.

● Weight swings: Oprah Winfrey plumped up; Britney Spears slimmed down.

● Cheap-chic: Levi’s Signature $20 jeans at Wal-Mart won raves. Sarah Jessica Parker sported a $9 dress from her Steve & Barry’s line to a film premiere.

● Statement necklaces: The bigger, the better. The materials? Whatever.

● Kaffiyeh scarves: Hot in Hollywood, but a hot button. Dunkin Donuts pulled an ad featuring Rachael Ray wearing one, which some associate with Muslim extremism.

● Lace: Prada or vintage, a signature for fall.

● Rihanna: That spiky ’do.

● Bangs: A face-lift for Cindy McCain and others.

"Washington politicos have not been especially high on the style radar since the Kennedy years," said Avril Graham, executive fashion and beauty editor for Harper’s Bazaar.

That changed suddenly in 2008. Commanding attention were Michelle Obama’s high-low modernism, Sarah Palin’s retro sexy-librarian look, Cindy McCain’s progressive bangs, Hillary Clinton’s sisterhood of the traveling pantsuits and President George W. Bush’s brotherhood of the blue-sky neckties.

But if politics strikes fashionistas as anything but tasteful these days, note that many of 2008’s best fashion moments happened beyond the Beltway.

Woman of the year: Michelle Obama.

Her campaign trail outfits could generate a top 10 on their own. For many fashion editors, the most memorable fashion moment of 2008 was Obama in the Maria Pinto grape sheath with an Azzedine Alaia belt on June 3, when her husband accepted the Democratic nomination for president. Professional women applauded and emulated the J. Crew ensemble she wore on "The Tonight Show." Carpooling moms identified with her non-blue jeans and simple sweaters.

Icon of the year: Barack Obama.

Even before Michelle Obama ascended on the style scene, Barack Obama became a fashion inspiration. Donatella Versace dedicated her spring/summer 2009 collection to him. Rodarte created a sweater dress with Obama’s name. Beyoncé, Pierce Brosnan, Halle Berry and Madonna sported Barack-emblazoned T-shirts. Chicago boutique p.45 sold out of its Barack Obama shirts the day after the vice-presidential debate. Chicago-based suitmaker Hart Schaffner Marx, which is supplying Obama’s inauguration tuxedo, and Canali have churned out news releases about making his suits. But his sartorial acumen is not confined to businesswear. When asked for his positions on controversial streetwear, Obama told MTV: "Brothers should pull up their pants."

Bailout of the year: Sarah Palin

First, her sexy-librarian look with updo and rimless glasses turned heads. Then, her $150,000 in purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus dropped jaws. Perhaps history will judge Palin as a heroine for her economic infusion into retail.

Globalista of the year: Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.

Since marrying French President Nicolas Sarkozy in February, the model-singer has systematically charmed critics through her deft use of fashion. Accompanying her husband on a state visit to the United Kingdom, she brilliantly donned a gray coat from Christian Dior, a French house headed by the British designer John Galliano. Her pillbox hat channeled one that Jackie Kennedy wore when she visited London in 1962. As the similarly tall Michelle Obama often does, Bruni-Sarkozy wore flats, so as not to tower over male dignitaries.

Trend of the year: aggressive heels.

The Dior gladiator sandals that co-starred in "Sex and the City: The Movie" forecast the hottest footwear trend for summer into fall: unrepentantly aggressive shoes. Heels towering as high as 7 inches tripped up models during Milan Fashion Week. Don’t-mess-with-me ankle boots and thick, high platforms made Sarah Jessica Parker’s Choos and Manolos from the "SATC" series look positively quaint.