WaPo Fashion Editor Whiffed On Palin Fashion

Robin Givhan is some kind of fashion editor for the Washington Post, and from time-to-time, she makes a game attempt to apply her particular area of expertise to politics. This creates what I believe to be some of the most trivial political writing available to bipeds, and this was never more true than it was on July 20, 2007, when a glimpse of Hillary Clinton's cleavage straight up gave her the vapors. Twelve paragraphs worth of the vapors. For a while, no one knew what might happen as a result of the revelation that Hillary Clinton had ladyparts. Guess we all know what a GAME CHANGER that was now, right?

Anyway, believe it or not, Givhan has won a Pulitzer for her writing, and yes, I am being totally serious about that. And, by happenstance, we find ourselves today with a political story that falls squarely on her sweet spot, namely, this crazy, six-figure shopping spree of Sarah Palin's. Now, you'd think that a fashion editor with a yen for politics and a Pulitzer Prize winning eye would have been right on top of Palin's fashion choices, and what they say about her as a candidate. Well, as it turns out, you'd be very wrong about that! As Mark Nickolas points out, Givhan missed the Palin story by a Wasilla Main Street mile in an article she wrote for the September 28, 2008 Washington Post - well after her RNC-sponsored trip to Saks and Barney's - entitled "Sarah Palin's Unassertive Fashion Statement":

Oh, do enjoy this:

Her clothes are unpretentious, but they are also unremarkable. They have nothing to do with Fashion. It's fashion show season now, with designers unveiling their spring 2009 collections in New York, Milan and soon Paris. So far, none of them have suggested that the next new thing for the power-wielding woman is a straight black skirt with a boxy, oyster-colored blazer, which is what Palin wore when she accepted the vice-presidential nomination in St. Paul, Minn.

In the narrow confines of political style, the accepted rule is to dress in a manner that implies empathy for one's constituency -- so don't wear anything too expensive -- but also conveys authority. Palin has embraced the former and utterly ignored the latter. Nothing about her style jibes with the image of power. She does not dress like a boss lady, an Iron Lady or the devil who wore Prada.

Her clothes don't have the aura of sophistication like that of Michelle Obama's sheaths and pearls. They do not have a patina of glamour like Cindy McCain's heiress wardrobe. And they do not announce themselves with the confidence, assertiveness and listen-to-me-ness of Sen. Hillary Clinton's bold pantsuits. Palin's clothes are common. Everyone knows someone who dresses like her, which is partly why so many folks seem to think that they know her.

Her clothes are common? So much so that "everyone knows someone who dresses like her?" I had no idea the high cost of dressing common had expanded to the price of one thousand, nine hundred and twenty three separate subscriptions to Robin Givhan's newspaper.

Comments

[MaryAnn88]

Please give Robin Givhan a break. Yes, she covers fashion but she seems to be striving to do more and uses fashion to comment on contemporary culture. No, I don't know anyone personally who dresses in Valentino, but I accept Givhan's statement that Palin's clothes are common, I think Givhan means they are a kind of uniform that professional women can buy relatively inexpensively at a department store or at much greater expense at Sak's or Barney's. The Washington Post showed how it's possible to get Palin's look for a lot less by buying off the rack. I also think she's right about Michelle Obama who, let's face it, just has great style. She exudes confidence and personalizes what she wears. When she was on The VIew she wore a Donna Ricci dress that cost lest than $150 and looked terrific. She doesn't need Valentino to look distinctive and stylish. Even in couture, Palin looks like what she is, an empty suit.

[baptox]

I think it's important to establish that most people who are appalled by Palin's behavior on this issue are disgusted by three main points:

1)she didn't spend her own money, but funds from the RNC (a possibly illegal act, regardless of whether she donates the clothing later); 2) she spent a lot of money at a time when most Americans are struggling; and 3) she shows amazing hypocrisy by, once again , having her personal behavior not reflect the values she claims to live by.

I care less about her sense of style or lack thereof. Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright seemed to dress like Queen Elizabeth's frumpy American twin and yet she was (and remains) one of the most accomplished, admired and amazing women in the world. Dick Cheney is never questioned about his poor taste in dress, nor are the scores of other men in office who have (IMO) hideous, boring taste in clothes. Let's try and be consistent on judging men and women equally on that point, or ignore it altogether.

[mlaiuppa]

She missed the "so don't wear anything too expensive" too.

too expensive.

no authority.

and add no empathy.

A threefer zero.

[jdmba]

Ugh, this article is rude and missplaced.

[undecidedaboutPOTUS]

What amazes me is that in Palin's 2007 tax return the family income was $166,000. That's a tad more than the $150,000 clothes spas, hair do, etc.
Can you imagine spending in 2 months the same dollar amount of money that you and your husband made last year? I'm so looking forward to Nov 5, and no more barbie doll lies.

[shutdown]

Just for fun, let's think about what other accessories she could have been handed at a Republican Campaign gathering?

Any ideas, girls?

[tavote08]

How about a L.V. purse with a one way ticket back to Alaska???

[tavote08]

or many Dorothy's red shoes so she could click her heels back to Alaska!!!

[Superb1]

Robin Givhan should take a look in the mirror and bow out of the fashion commenting business. Perhaps if she knew how to dress she might recognize quality items when she sees them

[judgeinmillvalley]

Sarah Palin says she is the Joe Sixpack candidate. With common sense, she would have seen that shopping at Neimans and Saks for that amount of money was poor judgment. Her looks came first, obviously, over consideration of what message that sent. Isn't she a good looking woman? Couldn't she have made do with some Ross, K-Mart used by these people who are "just like her"? Couldn't she have made a point to say that she understands what it is to be thrifty and that she had the choice of spending a lot on clothes but turned it down because she's a hockey mom?

Instead, she was Ms Credit Card run amok. Miss Cinderella. Regardless of what happens to the clothes, she made a statement: looks and dressing well, spending far beyond what the average person earns in years, is more important to her.

Accepting the VP post, she didn't express any awe whatsoever for the job but reported her response as "Will it help the ticket? Will it help the country?" A few lessons in humility and common sense on what to tell would have helped-- at least to hide her arrogance.

Last night I saw her in an interview Brian Williams did with the two candidates. As Senator McCain was talking, she said, "Let me interrupt here--" It's common sense and good manners to let the top of the ticket speak without interruption?

[yasmeen]

hey MMONARCH: it doesn't matter how much you spend on anything as long as it's your own money. that's why no one cares about cindy's expensive designer wardrobe...it's HER money. same goes for mccain, the obamas and bidens.

[yasmeen]

Palin: i said thanks, but no thanks for those clothes to nowhere! they were too over the top!!....i put them on e-bay...
only 12 more days and we'll never have to hear about lipstick on a plumber again!! obama now!!
(pics of babies for obama make great desktops!!)

[mmonarch]

Not that any of you will buy this, but the clothes are being donated/perhaps auctioned or returned. Hollywood celebrities are not the only people that can do this. But I am sure you will all say that this news comes out "after the fact".

[mmonarch]

Palin is in a no win situation with all of you haters. If she came out wearing J.C. Penney as some columnist suggested, then she would be skewered for not taking the position of V.P. seriously and for not representing the U.S. in the proper manner. So the RNC handlers go out and buy her a bunch of clothes, drop them off at her hotel room and tell her to choose some. Their bad for NM clothes. But where does Obama buy his suits? What about Joe Biden? What kind of wardrobe did Obama have to put together for 2 years of campaigning and how much did that cost? I wish she would come out wearing a snow mobile suit and some snow shoes. Then you would all be happy.

[EXTREMEOUTRAGE]

I agree! I would much rather see the vice-presidential candidate in nice, business like suits than the frumpy and frivolous fashions sported by Michelle Obama.

[tavote08]

While Sarah brags about being a pit bull in lipstick Michelle is a real hockey mom, highly educated too. All the nice business like suits in the world, regardless of cost, won't give Mrs. Palin enough common sense never mind enough political of business sense to be a VP, maybe a nomination for the Mrs. Alaska dingbat of the year award (and even that's a long shot)...

[FatherWolf]

They''re selling her as an average Wal-Mart hockey mom but spending $150,000 -- that's one hundred and fifty thousand dollars -- on her clothes and makeup.

Penny's? I sure haven't heard that one. How about something a little more mid-level like Macy's or the local Minneapolis equivalent.

Seriously, it makes her seem like the pawn of the ultra-rich Republican elite. That's the real problem with it.

BTW, I'd be amazed if either Sen. 08ama or Sen. B!den had a fifth that amount tied up in their wardrobes. And they're not running on being simple small-town frontiersmen.

[Lobo72]

mmonarch: I don't hate Sarah Palin. I find her brilliant in her own way. She amazed me last Saturday night by portraying an exact caricature of herself. I mean she REALLY pulled it off!

I'd guess almost all of those you'd call Palin haters don't actually hate her; they just see her for the shallow ditz she is. No harm in that really, except that she's RUNNING FOR VICE PRESIDENT!

McCain is more of a dolt, of course, for choosing her.

[annieelliott]

Jason Linkins, yuck. Just, yuck. Robin Givhan rocks. She's an elegant writer with astute observations and a mean sense of humor. Whereas you seem just, well, mean. Go back to your political writing, or whatever it is you do, and please leave fashion writing to the professionals.

[extina]

While you Jason may be entirely correct about Givhan's lightweightness in the journalism department, your basic premise in this article is flawed. While the records of Palin's shopping spree were available at the time of the original September article, Palin's style had not evolved yet to what we see today. At the time Givhan was entirely correct and Palin's look was indeed, quite ordinary and common.
High price tags do not necessarily preclude those characteristics in clothes. Furthermore if you consult another article here on your very own site, you'll see one about the SNL fashion designer's dilemma in clothing Palin the night of her appearance. Her style at t he time they originally started making fun of her (coincident with Givhan's first 'unassuming' piece) was on the dowdy side, but it has since evolved to be much racier, tighter, sexier, bright, etc. She wanted to dress in her 'new way' and they had already made identical costumes for her and Tina Fey that represented her old look.
So, though I don't know anything about Givhan, I think you need to give her a little break here.

[Turtleposer]

I agree with Givhan, the clothes are unremarkable. Palin could've got it at Ross.