Hillary Clinton's Style Evolution

Being in the political limelight means having class and style, so how often has our current Secretary of State had to clean out her wardrobe?

Young Hillary. (I realize this was in the 70's, but
all I can say is, "Those pants!")

Though she was no Jackie O, Hillary Clinton has always kept up with the trends. From classic Chanel suits to her stunning inaugural gown, Clinton has had years of fashion evolution. (Not to mention the evolution of her hair cut!)

 Secretary Clinton Sep. 2011. (Photo)

A Brief Timeline of Hillary's Style:


The late 1970's and early 80's.

• The Clinton's got married in 1975, before the poofy Princess Di wedding dress debacle. Hillary's dress was slim and elegant.
• Hillary then stepped into political fame by being Arkansas's first lady. 
• It was the 80's so we have to forgive her for the loose pant suits, right?
• Notice the differences of her hair in these two pictures: in the 70's she had the big curls, but as soon as she was first lady in the 80's she went for a more sophisticated cut. 

Hillary as Arkansas's First Lady in the 1980's.
(Photo)

Bill and Hillary at their wedding,
1975.

The 1990's.

• Hillary became the nation's First Lady in 1993. 
• She gave up the pant suit, and was most often seen wearing a matching skirt and jacket. 
• Though her inaugural gown was stunning, she had some major fashion faux pas during her time as First Lady. (Apparently Arkansas is not known for being very fashionable.)
• Her haircut, however, grew more and more sophisticated. 

Hillary's Inaugural Gown designed
by Sarah Phillips.
(Photo)

That hat is a major fashion
mistake, Hillary.
(Photo)

2000 to 2008.

• Hillary became Senator for the state of New York.
• Living near New York City meant she had to up her game, stylewise.
• Her hair (which I am now considering dedicating an entire blog post to) was cut even shorter, and it made her look young and fresh.
• Her suits were tailored better and looked more proffessional.
• She started to wear a little more jewelry to fit in with some of the upper class New York citizens.

Classy bright jacket
paired with all black.

The official Senate photo. 

2008 to now.

• Hillary mantained her senator look throughout her presidential campaign, but when she became Secretary of State, she changed things up a bit.
• Her job means traveling to many conservative countries, so she opted to grow her hair longer. It's different for a woman of her age, but I am getting used to it.
• She has reverted back to wearing pants, but now she pairs them with pretty tops and classy jackets.

Hillary meeting with the Isreali
Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Beautiful Hillary in what looks
 like a Chanel jacket.

In conclusion, Hillary Clinton has lived through many fashion trends, and over the years she has learned how to have a classy and unique sense of style.




But really, there could be an entire T.V. show dedicated to her many hair styles.
Which one was your favorite?

XOLily





Sources: Hillary for Pres. ; Hillary Rodham Clinton ; First Ladies

Five Things

1. Spring Flowers at Pike Place

2. Bright Converse with a tulle dress (from H&M).

3. BBQ Pork Hombow. 

4. Gorgeous dress by Oscar De La Renta. (Found at Nordstrom).

5. Homemade Lattés.

XOLily

Haiku Wednesday

I wake up and smile.
The sun shines through my window.

A spring break morning.

I am on spring break!

I leave in three months,
for my trip to la belle France.
Made my packing list.

I hear a small meow.
A cat jumps onto my chest,
and purrs in my face.

XOLily

Thoughts from Places.

Nobody cares when it rains. And when the sun shines, people beam with friendliness.


Reasons I love going downtown Seattle:

• Pike Place Market. I like going on a weekday so that I can wander aimlessly through the market, making stops at all my favorite places. 

• The Skybridge. I like to look at the city from another angle. 

• Westlake. I have a lot of childhood memories here (especially in the fountain). The open space makes the city seem more relaxed and calm. 

• Shop windows. My method of keeping up with fashion trends is to window shop. Stores always put their most fashionable clothes in the window displays. 

• Coffee. There is a Starbucks around every street corner downtown Seattle. After a long day of shopping, I relax by sitting outside with my drink and people watching. 

Even though I plan on moving to New York City after I graduate, I will always love Seattle. 

XOLily

Climbing to Save Lives

Thousands of people gathered at the Columbia Tower in Seattle today to take part in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Big Climb Event.

The bottom floor of the Columbia Tower teemed
with people preparing for the climb.

Participants climbed 69 flights of stairs to the top of the Columbia Tower to raise awareness for Leukemia and Lymphoma.

That's a total of 1,311 steps and 788 feet of vertical elevation.

Last year, this event raised more than $1.6 billion.

Throughout the climb, there were dedication posters of loved ones who had suffered from a type of Leukemia or Lymphoma.

My best friend Emily with the dedication
poster of her Grandma Jerri.

 It was a beautiful day for a wonderful event. Thank you to everyone who donated to the Big Climb!

Climbing 69 flights of stairs is no small task, but the
view from the top made it worth it. 

Me and my Big Climb fwends: Kirstie, Emily and Charley.

XOLily

Looks Do Matter...

Especially if you want to be President of the United States.

If one of the presidential candidates showed up to a debate without his American Flag pin, it would be huge news. And what if he wore a purple tie instead of the standard red or blue?

But let's take it a step further than the color of the tie:
Which presidential candidate has the most class when it comes to clothing?

We'll start with out current president, Barack Obama.

• President Obama has been known to wear custom tailored Hartmarx suits.
•  Hart Schaffner Marx is a popular suit making company based in Chicago. 
• The President's suits are made out of a worsted wool and cashmere blend. 
• Obama's suit is about $1500

Photo from Huffington Post.

        Pretty classy, Mr.                  President.

Photo from No Jeans Obama

     

However: Our devoted leader has also been known to wear some pretty awful jeans...

In fact there are entire blogs dedicated to Obama's "mom jeans" (see photo caption).

Our president's classiness score: 8/10

Let's move on to a few of our republican cadidates, starting with Mitt Romney.

Mitt Romney's Tie Wins the Debate

• We have to remember that Mitt Romney (or Mr. Mittens, as I call him) makes more than $20 million a year. 
• So of course, he is always impeccably dressed at all of the debates. 
• His suits are wonderfully tailored to fit him perfectly and his ties are usually a royal blue.
• From his hair cut to his tanned skin, Mr. Mittens has a very classy, presedential look about him. (Even though he is quite similar to a Ken Doll.)

But even rich Mr. Mittens has a small style problem. Once again, it has to do with jeans. 

Trying to look more casual and less rich, Mitt has followed Obama into the awful mom jeans territory. 

Photo from the Associated Press

I see what you did there Mr. Mittens, but wearing Levi's will not make you less rich.

Romney's classiness score: 9/10 (Mainly because of his haircut.)

Bonus article: Mitt Romney shops before the big debate




Lastly, I would like to talk about Rick Santorum.

• Santorum has the largest style problem of all the candidates: the sweater vest
• Rick's entire campaign has been a whirlwind of sweater vests with the Santorum logo.
• You can follow Santorum's sweater vest on twitter: @FearRicksVest
• Santorum once said, "Sleeves slow me down,"

Photo from Glamour

Thankfully, Santorum parts from his beloved vest during debates and dons the usual dark suit, white shirt and red or blue tie.

His suits are never tailored as nicely as Romney's, but he isn't a multi-millionaire like Romney, either.

Santorum's classiness score: 6/10 (Getting a new stylist is the first thing he should do if he becomes president.)

Photo from gtdaily

 To be fair, I should've looked at Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul's styles, but it was just too painful.







I guess the question behind all of this is, does classiness affect your vote?

Give me your input in the comment box below...

XOLily

PS: I just made up those classiness scores. If you think one of these guys deserves a different score let me know.

Sources: Obama's Trademark Look ; Hart Schaffner Marx ; Mitt Romney Announcement ; Mitt Romney's Wealth ; Santorum's Sweater Vest

Five Things

Five loves from this week.

1. Gorgeous pink handbag from Guess. Found on a spur of the moment shopping trip at Macy's. Am currently saving up for it.

2. The way my kitty, Alfie, sleeps with his tongue sticking out. 

3. Ben Kweller and Earl Grey tea, the perfect combo for finals week. 

4. My new rounded sunglasses from Fuego. Bought on previously mentioned spur of the moment shopping spree. (Modeled here by Agnes Petunia II, my golden head)

5. The Insatiable series by Meg Cabot. Because who can resist a sexy vampire hunter? Correct answer: No one. 

XOLily

P.S. The idea for this blog post was inspired by the fabulous blog Cupcakes and Cashmere.

Haiku Wednesday

On Wednesdays I write haikus.

The rhodies are blooming! A sure sign of spring.

I love pink sequins
On my dresses, in my hair
Or just anywhere.

The first bite is best
from the cupcake in my hand.
Cute and delicious.

A small, soft lion
is fast asleep on my bed.
He is still purring.

The rain on my hair.
There is no escaping it.
Then come the frizzies.

My room is a mess.
A black hole of clothes and books.
It is who I am.

I step off the bus
I am filled with happiness.
The sun is shining.


XOLily

Inspirations

Here are a couple of my inspirations when it comes to blogging (and also living) :

• Derek Blasberg, who has written the books "Classy" and "Very Classy". He writes for Harper's Bazaar and is an editor at VMagazine. He is my idol when it comes to journalism. 

• My other inspiration comes from Cupcakes and Cashmere .  Emily, the creator of the blog started out like me: just a girl blogging. Now, she has a large fan base and has written her first book. 

• Meg Cabot, author extraodinaire. She has written over 50 novels for teens and adults and I don't think she will ever stop.  She also has a hilarious one-eyed cat named Henrietta. 

So, here I am. My first post. 

I hope the world likes it.

XOLily