So there’s buzz about the $150,000 spent on dressing Sarah Palin in September. I’ve felt a little irritated at the buzz: the convention and campaign are packaging and advertising. While most of the candidates have been campaigning for twenty some odd months and have their costumes picked out, Palin has been swept up and needs to look as polished and as world stage worthy as possible. I don’t have anything world stage worthy in my closet. I sympathize.
On the other hand, big chain department stores are not from where i’d want my clothes. While much of the creative design and crafts folk seem to be producing more fun and funky than serious corporate couture, the choices are out there. Couture Crochet Workshop by Lily M. Chin has perfectly appropriate campaign wear (assuming the skills to put the pieces together in a timely manner). And a quick browse at Etsy finds a few pantsuits that might work — and shows how one can easily spend $1k on a costume for the world stage.
When will we see candidates (well, the women) wearing handmade creations? Is it protectionist of me to think that creations designed by and made by American craftsfolk are better? Or is it a question of sustainability & fair trade?
Another set of questions, probably better, address the whole paradigm of packaging candidates as objects. I’m not in support of that, but admittedly accept the “world stage worthy wardrobe” giving in to that paradigm. Which shifts first?
Here’s some Etsy picks and a manufacturer of US made shoes:
Coat (pictured) plus pants $895 from Meg’s Coture
Autumn Russell’s $400 Brown Pantsuit