Nov 3, 2008

09:45 AM

Vote Fashionably

In honor of this Election Day, show where you stand with some brightly colored political fashion — and don't forget to vote!

Photograph courtesy of CrookedMonkey.com

Though I can safely say fashion transcends all areas of my life, I was rather surprised to find that it somehow pushed its way into the spotlight of the current presidential election coverage. While pundits and media correspondents have spent just about all of the past several weeks shedding light on the big issues — the economy, Iraq, etc. — isn’t it fascinating how our favorite subject managed to grab their attention?

Whilst some may view the recent coverage of Republican vice presidential candidate Governor Sarah Palin’s wardrobe to be a bit extraneous of the more important political concerns, would it be wrong to admit that I found it slightly refreshing? Let me be honest: as one who is constantly tuned in to CNN and MSNBC during election season, hours of hearing about Joe the Plumber and proposed tax cuts gets more than a little tiresome.

Now, in my opinion, Palin may have some trouble seeing the issues clearly (perhaps Russia is in the way?), but I have to admit: her wardrobe has definitely won me over. Not even the dozens of “pretend Palins” I saw over the Halloween weekend could get the look — impeccably tailored designer suits — just right. And in all honesty, she may be on to something. I distinctly remember one of my poli-sci professors (yes, one of my majors in college was political science), explaining that one of the impacts on voters’ decisions is the appearance of the candidate — as in whether or not they look “presidential” and are attractive. So perhaps the thousands-of-dollars-shopping-spree she unleashed in Neiman Marcus a couple of weeks back wasn’t just foolish splurging…

Anyhow, what I’m trying to get at is that during this chaotic time in America, if fashion and politics are going to collide head on, then we’re definitely not about to miss out on the fun. And there happen to be plenty of outlets that provide us with what we need to show our support for what we believe in — in the best way we know how: clothing!

Surely you’ve noticed the many bodegas and novelty stores in the malls with election gear popping up, featuring new, up-to-the-minute candidate slogans or spoofs of campaign jargon: from “Joe-the-Plummer T-shirts” to more serious “Obama For Change sweatshirts.” So in honor of this Election Day, show where you stand with some brightly colored political fashion. And check out a few of these Web sites for more election apparel:

• Zazzle.com
• ElectionClothing.com
• Cafepress.com

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