7 Post Obama-mania fashion reviews

It’s already rumoured that over 1 million Americans want to assist to the January 20th 2009 Obama inauguration where the president-elect will drop one word from his title and simply become THE PRESIDENT!

There is no doubt that the months leading to this historical event will give way to many new fashion trends (some good and some very-much forgettable), but I thought that now that all the anticipation of “will Sara Palin be able to represent America without being ridiculed or will Michelle Obama become the first African-American First Lady” are over, I would take a look back at some of the strongest fashion trends from this election.

If memory serves me correctly, I don’t remember any past US election giving way to so much talk about the couture … with good reason because I don’t think we’ve ever seen an election where celebrities, grandmothers and well-kept-dogs were walking about town with a candidate’s face on a t-shirt!

Post Obama-mania fashion review

1) The Obama t-shirt: singers, models, actors, influential figures all sported the Obama t-shirts with great pride. Perhaps, I’m missing the fashion-ball here, but I don’t recall seeing supporters for W. Bush and Bill Clinton walking around with their candidates face stapled on their chest.

2) Obama bling: Yes, you’ve read correctly. The Obama-mania extended to one of my fave accessories – jewellery. I’m all for gold jewellery, but I draw the line when it comes to blingging it up with a presidential candidate’s name around your neck. I personally would never do it, but it seems many Americans were willing to part with $79.00 for an Obama 2008 Nameplate in 10K Gold.

3) Michelle Obama style: many reporters have been caught saying things like: “She dresses very Jackie Oish”. Since the French press is calling president-elect the next Kennedy, it makes perfect sense to start comparing Michelle Obama’s look to another presidential fashion icon (Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onasis). One thing is clear, elected-first-lady Michelle Obama prefers clean lines, bright colours and simple sophistication.

4) Michelle Obama prefers Target (known as Tarjay in Canada) and JCrew: Target and JCrew could NOT hope for better publicity. I mean when the most powerful woman (move over Queen Oprah) in the US says she shops at your store … the rest of America (and the world) listens. It’s been reported that Michelle Obama revealed on a Jay Leno appearance that she buys her clothes (sans personal stylist) online via JCrew.com, the company say their sales increased by a staggering 464 percent! Women were clicking away and grabbing tanks, cardigans and skirts to emulated the Michelle Obama look … which by the way is VERY recession-proof!

5) Sara Palin bold glasses were hard to miss: I’ll have to admit that Sara Palin has done more for the revival of the eyeglass than any other event in recent years. In a time when lasik surgery is becoming the norm and most people at ditching their eyewear, Sara Palin was introduced to the world wearing a fairly prominent rectangularish pair of rimless Kazuo Kawasaki spectacles. American women ran to their nearest optician demanding to be fitting for a new pair of Palin-inspired glasses. It was such a big event in the US that ABS News bold stated that “eyeglasses are the new pantsuit”.

6) The $150,000 recession-bust wardrobe: It’s still not clear if Sara Palin spend that ungodly amount on updating her hockey-mom look during the middle of one of the worst recession in recent memory, but it made the cover of every media outlet, and it will be impossible for her to ever play this down.

7) Cindy McCains high end couture look: Cindy McCain was also mentioned for her expensive wardrobe (which she actually CAN afford given that she’s a multi-millionaire in her own right). There are pieces from Cindy’s wardrobe that I quite liked. I do have to say that where Cindy and I parted ways was when she did the matchy-matchy look where the jacket, turtleneck or shirt and skirt where ALL the same colour. In my fashion-book … that is a big no-no. That said, I was quite partial to the bling … since I love jewellery so much.