The Emperor’s New Clothes Might Really Test Candidates

P olitical candidates in the ‘90s have substance-over-style shibboleth in a death grip, but do they really believe it? You won’t see either presidential contender appearing before the United Farm Workers in gray flannel or at a $1,000-a-plate dinner in Levi’s and Reeboks. And what about their increasingly high-profile wives? Can the right ensemble swing votes?

HE: I’d like to think that the American electorate would vote the issues and not the cut of a suit, but the handlers don’t seem to think we’re there yet.

Have you noticed that when Bush wears casual clothes in front of the cameras, that polo shirt or Windbreaker is always emblazoned with the presidential seal? We know who he is. It’s like Nixon wearing that tie during his beach strolls in San Clemente.

And Clinton is almost always in short sleeves. Just a regular guy who happens to be running for the most powerful office in the world.

Shall we be cynical and assume this sort of thing is calculated?

SHE: Sure. But in a positive way. After all, what we wear is one of the ways we get to tell people who we are. We prove it every morning when we walk out the door. If I’m in a tomato-red suit, for example, you know I’m hungry for the spotlight.

When I see George in a polo shirt with the presidential seal, the double message is clear: “I’m the President of the United States, and I’m a great sport.”

As for Clinton’s short shirt sleeves, I don’t think they’re self-conscious. They just say: “I’m a little warm.”

What about their wives? Such a fuss over Hillary’s black headbands and Barbara’s ever-present pearls.

HE: Again, I think I see the hand of the image makers. Hillary Clinton is a lawyer, a modern woman, independent, and she looks it. She dresses like a pro. That got her a barrage of slings and arrows from the Republicans, who thought it was aggressive and anti-family. But the Democrats love it. Barbara Bush dresses like the American version of the Queen Mum and the GOP is ready to canonize her.

SHE: We couldn’t put Barbara in a mini and stilettos, now, could we? Her age, personality and position dictate her dignified way of dressing. Hillary is another story. Being fortysomething lets her get away with just about anything, sartorially speaking.

So why did she have to alter her look? Being asked to change from her power-suited “career woman” image to that of “stylish political wife” is a sad commentary on what somebody thinks the voter wants. I want Hillary groomed on her terms. It lets me know exactly where she’s coming from.

HE: It’s a big country. The female power suit won’t get a second look on both coasts, but it might scare hell out of the potato farmer in Idaho.

SHE: That’s not saying much for the potato farmer in Idaho is it? My bet is that his vote would have more to say about Clinton’s view of saving the economy than Hillary’s streamlined look.

HE: Actually, I think the only way a candidate’s wife could influence votes through her method of dress would be if she started wearing pointed metal Madonna bras to mayors’ prayer breakfasts.

The point is that nobody in either political camp is going to let their candidates, or the candidates’ spouses, put a wrong foot with the clothes they wear.

In Madison Avenue politics, the drill is to offend as few people as possible, and anything other than the tried, true and tasteful is going to offend someone. If Bush wore a black leather motorcycle jacket, for instance--as innocent as that garment might be--James Baker would have a stroke.

SHE: We’re back to clothes telling people who we are. It is my belief that you can’t miss with a straightforward style that is consistent with who you are and what you do. The image makers need to be there, perhaps, to help a public figure define his or her style. But in no way should they try to change the image.

HE: Are we saying, then, that Mister Rogers doesn’t have a ghost of a chance of being elected President unless he ditches the cardigan and sneakers and starts shopping at Brooks Brothers?

SHE: No. We’re saying voters will be impressed, but not swayed, by what public figures wear.