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I watched part of the election results last night on CNN. I actually waited to see the two (or four, if we include the vice presidential candidates) families come out for the customary "winning with our families by our side" appearances. I wanted to see what the First Lady (or potential First Lady) would be wearing.
As usual, Michelle Obama, is the gauchest of them all. This is the woman that has been chosen to be by the side of the person who represents Americans at the highest level. She's wearing a Michael Kors "recycled" dress, i.e. one she wore a couple of times before, not one she bought at the Salvation Army. There is always that phoniness with Michelle. She has to wear a designer dress, but to mitigate its elitism, it has to be "recycled." As the approving Daily Beast heads its article on election's night fashion: "Michelle Obama’s Signs of Fashion Restraint on Election Night." She's also wearing one of her ridiculously shrunken sweaters as an accessory (she's wearing no jewelry, unlike the other three women).
I cannot find the "designer" for Ann Romney's red dress, but it is deceptively simple. Mitt Romney wore a regular, striped tie, which could be a "red, white and blue" variation of the American flag.
Jill Biden wore a plain blue dress, with a large belt around the middle. The dress designer is an unknown (to me) New York City based designer Susana Monaco. Again, Jill's dress has more style to it than her fellow democrat Michelle's, but what is that odd, large belt she's strapped around her waist? Is she channeling a Michelle Moment? But, she's at least wearing a Democrat "blue" unlike Michelle who has no sense of style and its symbolism (although Obama is wearing a blue tie). In fact, Michelle's off-burgundy dress looks like the "Independents" purple. That probably sums her outlook, a one-of-a-kind creature. And was Joe Biden matching his tie with Obama's tie, or with his wife's dress?
Janna Ryan's tartan dress also has no designer attached to it so far. But, its checkered pattern is far more elegant than the formless shapes that are on Michelle's Michael Kors dress. Also, there is a sense of the traditional tartan that Janna's designers might have been referring to [see top image]. Paul Ryan's light grey silk tie didn't attract (or distract) his presence.
In my top image, I also put Jill Biden and Ann Romney next to each other. Both at least were dressed true to their parties.
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Having the Obama's back in the White House also means that we have to look at the progression of their two daughters. Here we have them, as gauche as their mother, in above-the knee dresses with lopsided hemlines and billowing skirts. Malia, I suppose as the rebelling teen-ager, is wearing some kind of leotard/spandex form-fitting top. Not a style for the presidential elections night. And Sasha is wearing the shrunken sweater, made famous by her mother. I suppose they're both meant to look like young girls, but they have none of the charm.
Ryan's daughter, Liza, is in an orange checkered dress (taken from the mother's patterned dress?) and is much more charming. Her dress is short, but she is wearing cream stockings, compared to the bare legs of the Obama girls, and she is only ten (Sasha is now eleven, still young, but not for those dresses, and Malia is a full-blown teenager at fourteen). The little Ryan boy looks like he came out of a Normal Rockwell painting.
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