For the Men It's Not The Clothes, It's The Belly Fat

In responding to my last post, my friend Susan(thanks feefs!) pointed me towards a Huffington Post article that essentially predicts 'Belly Watch 2008' promoting watching Al Gore's belly for signs of shrinkage, the idea being that as his waistline contracts, the probability of his entering the narrowing field of presidential hopefuls grows.

Can a fat man not get elected? I mean, male public figures are not always svelte i.e men like John Goodman, John Travolta and even Denzel Washington when promoting American Gangster, etc. One thing that is great about this is that the men's bodies are popular subjects, while the women seem to finally be off the hook, at least a little bit. The articles says:

This focus on appearance is, of course, nothing new. Ever since JFK took the country by storm, with Jackie and her glamorous Oleg Cassini wardrobe by his side, personal style has been an important component of a candidate's appeal. But the celebritization of politics has reached new heights. With Election Day 2008 a little less than a year away, we've already had breathless stories about Obama in a bathing suit and endless mentions of first female speaker Nancy Pelosi's Armani-filled wardrobe and love of Tahitian pearls. And Mitt Romney has been the object of a veritable media man crush, with Chris Matthews gushing about "the perfect chin, the perfect hair" and Politico's Roger Simon swooning over Romney's "chiseled-out-of-granite features" and "shoulders you could land a 737 on." Who says metrosexuality is only for liberals?

Read the whole thing.

Iowa Might Not Care, But I Do

Through my avid blog reading just this morning I was taken to a website I have never seen before, devoted entirely to the style of Senator Hillary Clinton. Since it's usually her aide that gets the fashion spreads (twice in recent issues of Vogue) I find this fascinating. Lately there have been some interesting discussions about how a woman can be fashionable and electable (is that a word) at once. It's like a tightrope act that women in the public eye have to perform very carefully every time they leave the house. I mean just the fact that the price of a haircut makes the front page makes this Smithie cringe, maybe it shouldn't, but it seems clear to me that a woman in the public eye should, and must look as good as she can which often means expensive suits and haircuts. I can't remember anyone criticizing the cost of a male politicians clothes -haircut, yes (we all remember Edwards' $400 cut) but not their suits.

anyway, just a quick note. Thoughts?


Addendum: Insta-pundit mentioned Obama's suit!

Rain Rain Go Away

Today is disgusting here. It's one of those days you really don't want to leave the house. Apparently the wind is so strong that some of the bridges are even closed. This calls for a good rain outfit. I watched an episode of my favorite tv stylist's new show "Fashionably Late with Stacey London" and she had audience members try on rain coats, boots and hats and put one person in a rain machine, one in a huge refrigerator and one in front of a wind machine. It was pretty freaking funny to watch, but this morning on my way out I felt like I was being subjected to all three at once. Not nice.

So here are my suggestions for beating the weather:






These are Kors by Michael Kors version of the wellie, and they are also available in orange - both are pretty great! you can find them on sale at my favorite online boutique Shopbop.

For a raincoat I love this Kenneth Cole Reaction jacket :


This jacket is great for several reasons, the first is the tie at the waist, it's actually a buckle and with the strong squared shoulder makes the waist look tiny, just what every woman wants in a coat. This is available on my favorite discount designer website Bluefly.


If you are in the parts of the country dealing with snow and much colder temps look for boots by La Canadienne, they look fantastic and they are weatherproof, they even keep your toes warm and toasty.

Daily Treat

YUM! This lipgloss is a fun treat for the ugly rainy day we are having in the bay area...
it really tastes and smells like cake and makes for a satisfying retail therapy session, best of all - it's only $10 at Sephora, the mecca for make-up and skincare products.

Click the post title to go straight to Sephora.

Good News for the Morning

I have thin calves. I know many women think that is a blessing, however in the search for boots it's more like a b*tch because they sag at the ankles and gape at the top of the shaft. But then this morning I saw something that could be life-altering, a boot that comes in 5, yes 5, calf sizes:



The buckles are decorative, so that isn't how the shaft changes circumference.
note: the post title will take you to the boots!

Why God? Why?

There are certain moments while shopping when I wonder if everyone, and I mean EVERYONE was asleep at the wheel. I mean really, you are telling me that the designer, the manufacturer, the buyer and the stylists all thought this was o.k? Someone must have drugged them ALL.

Case in Point:







(photo from Nordstroms)
O.k, I'm going to blame the stylists. Leggings are NOT PANTS and a skirt that requires something else to make sure you aren't exposing yourself doesn't really qualify as a skirt in my book. This is not even one of those looks that you can shrug off and say eh, a 16 yr old girl would look cute. No, she would look like a prostitute in an 80's costume.

ick.

New Years

I have been reading top ten (and worst ten) lists and New Years resolutions all over the place in the past week as the year came to a close. I try to not make resolutions myself because no one ever keeps them and that just makes you feel guilty, why do something that is supposed to be fun but that really only sets you up for failure? Anyway, I'm going against my rule and making one for 2008 in regards to shopping: buy less, and wear what I have more.

It sounds really simple, and yet I find it so difficult. There is always something new that would somehow fix something, not a drill or screwdriver, but a sweater that would somehow make me able to wear everything else in my closet or a fun pair of high heels that would turn me into an avid high-heel wearer. Of course neither of those things happen.

Plus, in a day and age when we constantly read and talk about conservation and eco-consciousness, it can't be good to buy what is essentially disposable clothing (Target, H+M, etc) or even more expensive pieces that hang unworn in our closets.

Some people save clothes, I used to do that too. I sometimes felt like something was too nice to be worn regularly and saved it for a special occasion, that is NEVER a good idea. once you finally get around to wearing it it doesn't look good anymore, something about it won't be right.

It's great to add a fun new piece here and there, but I try to remind my clients as we go through their closets or go shopping that we need to buy pieces that actually work for their life, and get rid of things they don't wear. I need to follow more of my own advice! Hopefully in 2008 I will.