RNC Has Spent Over $150,000 On Palin's Clothes (SLIDESHOW)

**Scroll down for slideshow**

UPDATE: The man behind Palin's style transformation is Jeff Larson, Karl Rover's former protégé and the principal robocaller who smeared John McCain in 2000.

Politico reports that the RNC has been shelling out the big bucks--over $150,000--on Sarah Palin and her family's wardrobe since she joined the McCain ticket in late August.

According to financial disclosure records, the accessorizing began in early September and included bills from Saks Fifth Avenue in St. Louis and New York for a combined $49,425.74.

The records also document a couple of big-time shopping trips to Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis, including one $75,062.63 spree in early September.

The RNC also spent $4,716.49 on hair and makeup through September after reporting no such costs in August.

So what does $150,000 buy you? Here's an idea.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Click through to see Palin's $180,000 campaign wardrobe...

This news follows an AP report that Governor Palin charged the state of Alaska for her kids' travel.

Palin also came under fire in September for splurging on a $2,500 Valentino jacket for her speech at the RNC and buying $400 glasses. Both fashion statements seem at odds with her "Joe Six-Pack" image.

And all this follows on the heels of a report that Cindy McCain donned an ensemble at the RNC that may have cost $313,000. Additionally, her husband, John McCain, spent the summer sporting a pair of $520 Ferragamo loafers and reportedly paid 'American Idol' makeup artist, Tifanie White, $5,500 for her services.

Comments

[fem56]

04:12 PM on 11/08/2008

I thought she looked great in the new clothes. They are beautiful. The RNC will have to sort out what is excessive. Looking great is part of her appeal. I am for Obama and buy my seldom bought clothes at Marshells and Costco and occasionally Norstrum's sale but I am not running for VP. The clothes were supposedly bought by a Republican donor and if anyone has a bone to pick this is the person.
My only concern is who is telling the truth. She has done good things for Alaska no doubt but she also has a history of over stepping her bounds and lying repeatedly.

[OilWarsDotCom]

11:05 AM on 11/09/2008

Who cares, now? Hope she is recalled by Alaskans if they can unthaw their brains.

[cailindeas]

03:41 PM on 11/08/2008

What makes me laugh is the "Louis Vuitton" handbag. It's a FAKE. I worked for LVMH and this is a terrible example of bad choices. Ironically she is supporting terrorism by purchasing counterfeit bags like this. They are made in Asia and the money they generate supports terrororist cells in South Eas Asia. So she is essentially putting her son serving in the armed forces at risk by her illegal purchase.
What a hypocrite, talking about the "real patriotic"parts of America and then stiffing the legitimate economy by purchasing shoddy Asian-made illegal goods.

Congratulations America, on deciding to send the moose bad to Alaska!

[kadene]

01:18 AM on 11/08/2008

Palin was a fictional character once she left Alaska for the campaign, contrived to appeal to the rabid religious and ignorant Republican base, remade in the image of this character the GOP wanted to sell. L;ok how many fell for the trick!

[datone]

06:38 PM on 11/07/2008

Revlon is going to sign her up for her lipstick commercials.

[thismomma]

06:35 PM on 11/07/2008

I found a few of Sarah Palin's clothes online. I most certainly can't afford her style -- except for the $79 red peep toes. You can find it on my blog: http://thismomma.blogspot.com/

[rubberband]

09:02 AM on 11/07/2008

hey! give the girl a break. She is from alaska, her lifestyle may not require the type of clothing that would have acceptable in her role as vice presidential candidate. It is just like actors being provided clothing for movies. It seemed to have been an afterthought to select her at the last minute for vp - no time for preparation - they should have been responsible for "dressing" the family. They investigated her before the selection and knew what they were taking on. Shameful to embarass them publicly about some clothes. These purchases should have been done without public knowledge using private money.

[miller51550]

12:36 AM on 11/07/2008

Well...this is really a big issue..

The RNC is sending a lawyer to Alaska, to inventory and retrieve the clothes that the RNC recommended the lady WEAR as part of her image for the campaign. I bet neither Obama, MIchelle or McCain had to give up the clothes that the CAMPAIGN PURCHASED FOR THEM.

Why not use that same lawyer to investigate ACORN, or better yet that lawyer could have filed legal briefs requesting information on Obama.

And about his Harvard education.. Unless the Messiah released his grades... he was ranked 269 or so out of a Harvard Class of 3100 that year. His selection as Editor of the Harvard Law Review was the FIRST year that the number 1 or number 2 academically was NOT SELECTED, and his selection was based on Affirmative Action. He WAS NOT THE FIRST Black American to graduate from Harvard Law.. He was the first BLACK AFRICAN to graduate from Harvard Law.

[collprof]

12:58 AM on 11/07/2008

Hey Miller.....Did you lift all this from some GOP or GOP paid for PAC somewhere. It's all old hat. and here's another news flash...Obama is now POTUS.

[hwoodude]

09:04 PM on 11/06/2008

Hey all you Republicans? Wouldn't it have been great if Ms. Palin could have arranged a trip to visit the President of Africa?! While she was there she could also finally claim the million dollars she's due from that African cab driver who needed someone in the U.S. to vouch for his inheriting 50 million dollars in a hidden Swiss bank, right?

On the way back a visit to Paris would enable her to check out the pay toilet she invested in recently on the Eiffel Tower...you know, third tier - "femmes"- that cost 100 francs to use?

Yeah, you gotta love those Alaskan hockey Mom's for sure!

P.S. Is it true that hubby Todd is setting up a "Hockey Mom's" used clothing store in Alaska....right in the airport? I understand if you spend two thousand you can stay overnight at....well.....anyway, it's a better job for Todd than clumping around a fishing boat gatehring shrimp, don't you think?

[cmonppl]

06:47 PM on 11/06/2008

You asked if readers can help identify these clothes... not sure about Saks, but as a long time Neiman's customer (they do have really great 'last call' sales and a wide price range), I know that their website showcases a very extensive array of high-end choices, so if you have someone with enough interest and that kind of time on their hands, the research could be done. Personally, I'm not interested enough to bother, feeling that she has done more than enough to hang her career in the view of observant people.

An interesting point was made on another thread, that having her come back in 2012 would certainly insure a second term for Obama. Food for thought, that is, if he will even need such weak competition.

[cmonppl]

10:14 PM on 11/06/2008

Having just observed her getting off the plane in Alaska for the umpteenth time, it hit me that her belted black wool (trench?) coat looks very crisp and new (yet classic/vintage in design) Chanel...

[cmonppl]

10:57 AM on 11/07/2008

or, Burberry (1695.00)

[cmonppl]

10:59 AM on 11/07/2008

p.s. it took less than 60 seconds to come up with one item.

[NTO08]

06:49 PM on 10/26/2008

I like Sarah's response to this today...

IS THIS the most important thing one can discuss about her?

Focus on POLICY...but she is not the President, remember, this is going to be between Obama and Mack...this is a sideshow...

If you are going to go on about wardrobes, then let's see equal time spent on Michelle and Biden's wife's wardrobe...and Biden's Botox and Obama's designer suits...otherwise this is blatant, shameless, unabashed sexism...the same BS hurled at Hillary by Obamabots and earlier by their partners in character assassination, the neocons of the 90s...

[stayinsouth1981]

11:22 PM on 10/26/2008

This is about FEC rules. They are very clear about the purchase of clothing with campaign funds. It does not matter if they plan to return the clothes. IT IS FORBIDDEN.

[Territc]

05:38 AM on 10/27/2008

This is not unabashed sexism. This is the same woman who says that she is just like me. Well I'm middle class and I don't spend $150K on clothes over a two month period. I haven't even spend that entire amount in my lifetime and I'm 40 years. If I had access to that type of money, I would buy a house for my son and I. As it is it is a struggle every month just to cover the basic bills and pay his tuition. I defintely cannot afford any luxuries including clothes. There is no problem with her getting a new wardrobe, but for the McCain campaign to market her as an average hockey-mom, who is just like and then go and spend $150K on her clothes over two months is pure BS. She needs to drop that Just like me mantra immediately. And Yes, I am a woman.

The Bidens and Obama's don't spend campaign money on their clothes. McCain picked Palin on a whim and had not planned for her joining the ticket. If they had, they woud have been prepared Money would have been set aside or raised from different sources to meet this expenditure. Palin needs to take responsibiity for this and you all need to stop trying to shift the blame on to others or justify that this was a crappy move on the part of the McCain campaign and the RNC.

[presbyterianmom]

02:47 PM on 11/03/2008

If Sarah Palin is definitely not a woman like you, then you really can not relate to Obama. He vowed to take public financing for this general election and then backed out once he realized how much money he could rake in. When he made the promise, he was fully aware of the flaws of the system. His campaign has now spend 3 or 4 times as much as the McCain campaign. His suits are not from the local middle-of-the-road department store. His wife's clothes are not from TJ Maxx or Ross. His campaign will be footing the bill for 70,000 or 80,000 people to party on election night. He is not "the common man" by any account. Also, his charitable giving over 6 years has been especially pathetic for one who claims he wants to help the poor.

[miller51550]

12:39 AM on 11/07/2008

Hey... how do you know that the Obama's did not pay for their clothes?

Sources.

Who do you think paid for his vacations, and trips to Hi to visit his ailing grandmother??

I would like to see the price tags on his tailored suits, ties and shirts.

And I seriously would like to question/have investigated WHERE THE 650 MILLION DOLLARS that he spent on buying the White House came from.

[johnnygoodwud]

07:40 PM on 10/25/2008

take a close look at recent piper pictures. even she's wearing make up. that whole family was outfited by the RNC. they say there are givers and takers, and i'm betting the whole palin clan are takers. has any of her kids even graduated from high school?

[Missouri22250]

09:44 AM on 10/24/2008

Mr. Obama has spent 38 million throwing parties.

[NotWaldo]

08:59 AM on 10/24/2008

Miss Wasilly is the running mate of John McSchmuck !

[thatgirlinnewyork]

08:32 PM on 10/23/2008

something's amiss with jeff larson's "credit card statement". "neimon marcus" is misspelled, and retailers can provide no receipts for these "purchases". are those robocall charges being buried?
http://gawker.com/5067997/was-palins-150000-even-actually-spent-on-clothes

[stayinsouth1981]

11:23 PM on 10/26/2008

"Consider also the $4,902.45 charge at Atelier New York, a high-end men’s store, presumably for Ms. Palin’s husband, Todd, the famous First Dude.

Karlo Steel, an owner there, said he had gone through the store’s receipts for September, twice, and found no sales that matched that amount, nor any combination of sales that added up to the total. Because the store carries aggressively directional men’s wear, he caters to a small clientèle and knows most of his customers by name, as well as the history of their purchases."

[JohnKevari]

08:14 PM on 10/23/2008

KEVARI SNOWFLAKES

1 Valentino jacket: $2,500

1 pair of glasses: $400

A shopping spree to Neiman Marcus: $75,000

Insuring that your party goes down to defeat: PRICELESS

[schatsie]

10:00 PM on 10/23/2008

Gosh darn it, she and Todd get 250 grand a year and by gum, she needs money to buy clothes... What is wrong with this picture.....is it true that the same contractor that donated to Ted Stevens actually built the Palin house?