Thursday, September 4, 2008

Women and what they wear

S0me might say this election is all about the women, and I might say it's about time.
All traces of feminism aside, I must admit I have closely observed the hairstyle and fashion nuances of the star women of both national conventions. Was Hillary's suit too bright? Michelle's dress better suited for a cocktail party? Cindy's outfit too green? Sarah's choice of unmatching top and skirt disconcerting?
When I saw this Opinion piece in my inbox today, I realized I am not alone in analyzing the wardrobe choices of the first and foremost women of this election. According to this, some people analyze it as a profession.

What You Wear Matters
Opinion Editorial by Pat Heydlauff

Over the last 10 days, millions of viewers have watched the Democrats and Republicans put on their best faces. Both parties have been successful in their own ways. Some were trying to portray themselves in a different light; others were trying to put themselves forward. Did their energy serve them the right way? Did they reach the voters with the right message?
Energy was apparent in the choice of clothing by each of the speakers, but did the clothing wear them or did it in fact support their intent and their message?
First Lady Laura Bush
Her high energy red suit exuded self confidence, poise and a presence of importance. Since she was on the platform officially representing the White House, and helping to introduce the satellite feed from the President, she needed to make sure all eyes would be on her. And she did just that with such a high energy color. The red further emphasized the patriotic theme of the enormous flag in the background.
Hillary Clinton
Hillary wore a bright, distinct, crisp orange pantsuit while delivering her speech. She wanted to maintain total control, be in charge of her moment and say to the world "here I am, and I am good." She succeeded because her orange suit was not only a high energy, high visibility, in-charge color, but it also contrasted perfectly with the blue background. Blue and orange are complimentary colors, which causes color vibrancy.
Cindy McCain
While she was not in the spotlight last night delivering a message, as a potential First Lady, Cindy knew she would be very visible at the convention. Her choice was a fresh, bright green dress that made the statement, "I am somebody - but not the center of interest." She gave the campaign a positive energy image by standing out in subtle way, and chose a color that represents growth, new business and giving birth to new things.
Michele Obama
She looked absolutely stunning, wearing a beautiful jewel-tone blue dress representing herself well as the potential First Lady. Her dress was soft, although fitted, and in a very calming color. Blue can be calm to cool and even cold in the certain shades but she got the color just right. Michelle would have succeeded even more had consideration been given to the background, which was also blue. If the intent was to make her melt into the background it worked perfectly. If the intent was to give her a strong but soft presence, a different color would have worked better.
Sarah Palin
She wore a two-piece suit with a black skirt on the bottom, giving her strong grounding and a light colored jacketed top. While this was a less traditional suit (since the top and bottom didn't match), once she stepped up to the microphone with a black background, the perfect yin/yang balance was struck. She succeeded in making herself be the "in control" focus of her presentation. All eyes were on her and not her clothing.
The results of this year's election are not out yet, but it's clear that each of these women is strong, self-confident and focused. During the recent conventions, each woman's clothing told its own story - speaking 1,000 words without making a sound.

Pat Heydlauff is president of Energy Design, a company that uses proven Feng Shui design principles to improve the bottom line. As a consultant and speaker, Pat helps organizations and businesses of all sizes remove stress and clutter, while increasing creativity, employee retention and productivity. Her forthcoming book, "Feng Shui: So Easy a Child Can Do It,"
outlines the small changes that can lead to a big improvement in one's personal and professional success.

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