Vibrant Nation

Beauty starts on the inside, and radiates to the outside. Make-up and expensive clothing enhance one's natural beauty. There's no doubt that nice fabrics hide lots of flaws. There is a certain respect that a woman receives, when she is well-dressed. It says that she cares enough to take care of herself, and put her best foot forward. Do nice clothes always carry a hefty price tag? NO! I have found designer fabrics, and name brand clothing at stores like TJ Maxx, and Marshalls. It doesn't have to come from Rodeo Dr., or Neiman Marcus to be classy and look good. If I could afford nicer clothing, I would buy it, but only to a limit. When there are so many people homeless, and little children without shoes, I couldn't make myself be extravagant all the time.

Everyone is talking about Sarah Palin’s expenditure of $150,000 for clothes for the campaign trail. In defense of her personal shoppers, it is difficult to assemble a wardrobe in a short period of time without making compromises in style, color or price. When I shop for a client, I take all these into consideration and may come up with only three or four items in a single shopping stint. Buying an expensive designer jacket or suit doesn’t guarantee that you will make the impact that you should if the style and color is not right. Impact is everything. When it comes to image, the devil is in the details, but the sum total is greater than all its parts. And that sum total is the impact you make. Or don’t make. View a slideshow of Sarah Palin's new clothes here (courtesy of The Wall Street Journal): http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122469070735558681.html?mod In my opinion, very few of the items Sarah Palin wore made the kind of impact she should have made. The grey Valentino jacket, for example, is too washed out and makes her look less dynamic and powerful (insert photo). None of the clothes were accessorized well. In addition, Palin needed a bolder lipstick. Look at the scoop-neck black suit for example, and you’ll see that is looks very austere without lipstick and accessories. Lastly, the green jacket is “sweet” but it makes very little impact in terms of presence. All in all, Palin paid too much for what she got, and the blame must go to her personal shoppers and image consultants.

It's obvious that Cindy McCain told her where to shop and for the very wealthy, that's not much money. But in a time when the economy is front and center, it does not bode well. Obama needs to re-sole his shoes (again) and she's wearing couture. Not a smart move.

Frankly, I just want to know which consignment shop or Goodwill she's turning that red leather jacket into...