<p>I’m seriously curious about this. I’m sure Princess Diana had someone who helped her with her clothes – suggesting dresses, making sure the shoes and the bag matched, etc. And I also believe someone like Princess Diana had a “dresser” – someone who would make sure the clothes were cleaned after each wearing, put back into the closet appropriately, the shoes cleaned and labeled and re-boxed. And of course movie stars have stylists who assist them before the Oscars and other very public events. </p>
<p>But what about someone like Michelle Obama? Surely she doesn’t do it all herself, does she? </p>
<p>What about other in-the-public-eye people who aren’t fashinistas, like Hillary? Condi Rice? Nancy Pelosi? How do those people decide what to wear, get their clothes, make sure they are clean and organized, etc.? How did Sarah Palin do it? Do they have people to help them?</p>
<p>I recall the discussions of Pallin’s clothes and how her “advisers” were responsible for some of the more expensive choices. I don’t know the specifics of how it works. </p>
<p>If asked to wager, I would probably bet that someone close to M Obama has access to everything JCrew makes, as she has publicly said she orders clothes from them. </p>
<p>I just did a very quick Google search; Ikram Goldman is named as a stylist for Michelle Obama.</p>
<p>Agree musicamusica, though I think it depends on the person being served. We knew someone who served as “personal assistant” to opera divas when they were appearing in New York. What stories!</p>
<p>VeryHappy: Fun Thread! In the shopping thread, didn’t you suggest Candace needed to think about her outfit as a costume for the sorority tea?</p>
<p>It is hard for me to imagine a politician or first lady without a personal stylist, since it doesn’t seem they would really have time to shop and clothes are such an important message. Don’t you imagine the “stylist” and creating the “look” to be an important part of every campaign? It is interesting to think about Hillary Clinton in glasses and unstyled hair in her law school photos, with her headbands and feminine clothes when her husband was first running for president, and later when she went to pantsuits. I am guessing the headbands/feminine suits and dresses weren’t really her personal style but a very careful and calculated look for a first lady with her own career. Does anyone think that is what she had been wearing to the office in Arkansas? Michelle Obama had an extremely urban, sophisticated look IMHO going into the campaign and really adjusted the look as the campaign got going. Did anyone else notice that? Now she seems to me to almost make herself an advertisement for young, up and coming and maybe not so mainstream American designers, in addition to the Crew, which certainly seems (again JMHO) a very all-American kind of message.</p>
<p>I have been feeling rather sorry for her that she has to dress for the public and not herself LOL</p>
<p>Before the bubble burst many NYC upper class housewives had stylists!</p>
<p>It is said that Michele’s stylist is the owner of a Chicago boutique she has frequented for years. She negotiates with designers, gets in samples and helps her choose. The NYT’s had a funny piece yesterday comparing her look to that of former super model and French first lady Carla Sarkozy. Fashion has become an important part of international summit meetings!</p>
<p>alh, I’ll take credit for suggesting that Candace consider her sorority tea outfit a “costume,” but I don’t think that was me. </p>
<p>I guess I wouldn’t want to be the stylist myself – I suppose it could be rather stressful, especially if one is dealing with a diva – but I’d sure love to be the one styled. Sigh. </p>
<p>What do I have to do to get that? Oh – accomplish something huge, or marry someone who did! Hmmmm. Neither is particularly likely at this stage of my life. Rats.</p>
<p>Most people don’t have a clue how to dress appropriately for the image they want to project and their body type. You don’t have to watch many episodes of “What Not to Wear” to figure that out. </p>
<p>I thought the RNC people did a great job with Sarah Palin. Too bad she had to give those clothes back.</p>
<p>I always marvel at women who enjoy dressing up. I’ve always been jealous in the business world of the guys who could shake up their look by changing ties.</p>
<p>I love watching Michelle Obama and her clothes. I am her height and am very discouraged when I shop. I want to go into J Crew to see if things will hang right on me and not be too short.</p>
<p>I would agree that men have it ‘simpler’ when it comes to clothes, but ugh, I would never want to have to wear a tie every day. Women have more choices, but I think more leeway, too. And, it’s more fun!</p>
<p>Oh, there are far fewer ties, these day, among men (luckily for them). I still wouldn’t like to have the ‘guy choices’ for clothing, even given the confusing, over-abundance of choices for women…!</p>