State of the Fashion

I'll leave it to the pundits to dissect the serious issues covered during President Obama's first State of the Union address tonight. Instead, I will be dissecting tonight's fashion choices via a semi-live blog post.

1. POTUS: The President is wearing a bright red tie with several sets of narrow, white (pink?) parallel "stripes" running down the length of the tie. It reminds me of a candy cane -- not a peppermint one, but one of those delicious strawberry flavored candy canes that I always hunt down during the holidays. I like the tie -- it has an optimistic flair, and is set against a navy, presidential-looking suit. (Wait, did Harry Reid just yawn??? Wow, the Republicans are seriously mean-mugging right now.)

2. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi: Speaker Pelosi is sporting a lavender skirt suit. (I think it's a skirt suit.) The shade is understated -- I like it, but I don't love it. What I do love is her necklace: a jumbo, multicolored pearl strand. And matching earrings! Very sharp, Madam Speaker.

3. VP Biden: The Vice President has also chosen a diagonally striped tie -- it's purple (with blue and white stripes?) and the color contrast is sharp. I'm really digging it. Wait -- did he and Speaker Pelost coordinate? Ohhh, the VP is wearing a navy blue pinstripe suit. I've always held a special place in my heart for a navy pinstripe suit. (Everyone is really stoked about the Jobs Bill -- let's hope this enthusiasm translates into action.)

4. First Lady Michelle Obama: Mrs. Obama's hair and makeup are flawless! But I'm not such a huge fan of the dress. (Oh my goodness, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg just fell fast asleep. I hope she's okay.) The color (a deep burgundy) is quite nice, but the cut just doesn't seem to be exactly right. Then again, maybe I caught a bad angle -- I just saw the dress from another angle, and it looked rather lovely (love the pleating detail in the front).

5. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice: Ambassador Rice's blazer is intriguing to me. It appears to be a black, crocodile print, leather number. It's shiny and it's unconventional. And I'm kind of loving it. (I'm also loving this bit about reducing the costs of college and forgiving student loan debt. I'm totally on board with that plan.)

6. Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME): The Senator has chosen a very safe black and white (tweed?) skirt suit that looks well made and expensive. As an aside, Google-ing her political accomplishments led me to some vintage photos of Senator Snowe that dated back to the early days of her political career -- she has made some excellent fashion choices in her time. (Wait -- yes! Health care reform made it to the speech! I was worried. We can't give up on it yet.)

Last but not least -- and this has nothing to do with fashion -- but Roland Burris looks so, so happy to be where he is right now. I had almost forgotten about him and his very special appointment to the United States Senate. Good for him. (Wooow -- I think Obama just urged Congress to pass a law that will essentially erase some of the impact of the Supreme Court's recent campaign finance decision. Fascinating.)

I'm Back (Again)

I've been gone. For a very long time. I blame my absence on the holidays (spent with family in Florida - fun!) and an unbelievably busy stretch at work (spent alone (well, occassionally with my similarly overworked colleagues) in front of a computer - not nearly as much fun). Enough! Reading up on last week's Altitude Design Summit (and the amazing bloggers who participated) inspired me to stop making excuses for not blogging. And so I have returned. A few things:

1. What I'm Watching: Mark Sanchez and the NY Jets are playing in the AFC Championship game as I type this post. It doesn't look good for them. But no matter what happens, the Jets had an amazing run this season. And Mark Sanchez exceeded almost everyone's expectations for his rookie season. Go Gang Green.

2. What I'm Reading: Game Change. Whatever you've heard about this book is probably true. I've only just started reading Chapter 3, and I've already had to pick my jaw up from the floor 7 times. I still don't understand how Heilemann and Halperin gained access to all of the juicy details that drip from every page of the book. It reads like a hyper-intellectualized (and exceptionally long) "cover story" article in People magazine. And I love it for that. (P.S. I spent an entire week attempting to purchase a copy of this book in Manhattan. It was impossible to do so. Thankfully, Amazon has what seems to be an endless supply of them in stock.)

3. What I'm Not Believing: The National Enquirer is throwing its name into the hat for Pulitzer Prizes -- for its coverage of the John Edwards affair and the child he has now admitted to having with his mistress, Rielle Hunter. No, I'm not kidding. The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz explains here.

Olbermann and O'Reilly: A Truce?!?

As I've mentioned on several occasions, I like to keep Stilettos on the Gridiron a politics-free zone (for the most part). So I'll keep this short. And neutral...

As a semi-regular cable news viewer, I cannot believe that I didn't realize that Keith Olbermann and Bill O'Reilly had reached a truce of sorts (courtesy of informal negotiations that followed a cordial conversation about the Olbermann/O'Reilly banter between network hotshots Jeff Immelt and Rupert Murdoch).

The NY Times is reporting that Mr. Olbermann and Mr. O' Reilly stopped their years-long on-air feud in June, after executives at MSNBC and Fox decided that the war of words had become a lose-lose for both networks.

I really don't have anything more to say about this, other than that I am totally shocked I didn't even realize that the fighting had ended until I came across the NY Times piece. But now that I know, I think I'm going to miss it.

The Bright Side

It's been such a strange and sad week. The news cycle ( Iran, Gov. Sanford, the deaths of Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson and Billy Mays) has left me reeling. And a little numb.

Last night, I took a break from 24 hour news and popped Rachel Getting Married into my DVD player. I loved it. What everyone's said about Anne Hathaway's performance is true (she was great). And the cinematography, the set design and Rachel's wedding (spoiler alert: in the end, Rachel actually does get married) were just perfect.

In other positive news, this weekend my brother and I got working on a little project that has been in the works (on a very basic level) for some time now. The project is still in its infancy, but once it's ready to launch I will share the news here. It combines my interest in design with my brother's interest in social entrepreneurship and community development, and I'm confident that it will be fantastic. Stay tuned!

P.S. I'm watching the Food Network's shameless "interpretation" of Bravo's Top Chef as I watch this. And guess what? It's not that bad! I think I might like this show. . .

First Lady Fashion

Michelle Obama and Carla Bruni (Sarkozy) were in Normandy, France today to commemorate the 65th Anniversary of D-Day. The event was, of course, serious and at times somber. While watching MSNBC's coverage of today's event (and with complete understanding of and respect for the gravity of the commemoration), I could not help noticing that Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Bruni (Sarkozy) looked absolutely stunning:

images via Huffington Post

Elizabeth Edwards

Elizabeth Edwards is such a class act. I've seen a few clips of her interview with Oprah (airing in its entirety this Thursday) on MSNBC, and I just saw a few more on Nightline. She's going (and has gone) through so much -- the loss of her son, cancer, her husband's infidelity -- and yet she's just as strong and poised as anyone could hope to be under the same circumstances.

I'm so mad at John Edwards for the disrespect he showed toward his wife. But I'm so impressed by her dignity and grace.

To Play(off) or not to Play(off)

In grad school, I wrote a paper about whether the Bowl Championship Series violates U.S. antitrust laws. (My conclusion? It might. It might not.) One thing, however, is for sure: Congress is up in arms about the BCS. In between combating the swine flu and fixing the economy, Congress is, once again, demanding that a playoff system replace the current fuzzy math that determines the Division I college football champion. President Obama has gone on the record in favor of a playoff system as well.

I'm in favor of a playoff system,too. But I also find it hard to be totally opposed to a process that, while convoluted, delivered two championships in the past three years to my beloved Florida Gators.

Seriously, Arizona State University? Seriously?

I just completed the most grueling 13 days of non-stop work. It was exciting and interesting, but also very demanding. I have so much blog updating to do, but I am also exhausted. Getting some rest is first on my agenda. . . right after I comment on this bit of news: It seems that Arizona State University has invited President Barack Obama to be the University's commencement speaker this year, but declined to grant him an honorary degree. Why? Because, according to an ASU spokesperson, "his body of work is yet to come."

Is this some sort of (ill-conceived) joke?

Recession Specials

My family and friends will tell you that I love Target. A lot. I can spend hours in that store (just ask my brother-- I've dragged him to Target for a marathon shopping session on several occasions). Moreover, as someone who has been furnishing a new apartment in the middle of a recession, I really appreciate the small items for the house that I've found at Target (including, for example, the silver bowl on my coffee table that I scored for $5 and the great-smelling J.R. Watkins all-natural hand soap in my bathroom that set me back $3).

According to this Time Magazine article, Target is being outdone by Wal-Mart as the economy continues to tank. Why? Well, for starters, Target apparently devotes some 40% of its shelf space to home and apparel items (so that's why I love shopping there so much), while Wal-Mart sets aside 45% of its shelf space for grocery, health and beauty items ("consumerables"). When money is tight, consumers are more likely to fork over cash for grocery and health items than for home goods and apparel. And Wal-Mart's prices on consumerables are better than those at Target (in all fairness, even I have to admit that I've noticed that Wal-Mart's prices on these items are better than those at my beloved Target).

For what it's worth, Target is not taking this lying down. The company is shifting its focus toward consumerables, and will soon begin offering a larger, more prominently featured selection of groceries and other non-home/apparel items in an effort to regain some ground in the discount retailer market. That sounds fine -- as long as Target doesn't drop the fun, affordable home and apparel offerings that keep the interior designers and wardrobe stylists in all of us coming back for more!

Michelle Obama on the Cover of The Oprah Magazine ("O")

For the first time ever, Oprah Winfrey does not appear alone on the cover of "O" Magazine. Who's the very special guest on the cover of the April 2009 issue? First Lady Michelle Obama!

When Sports and Fashion Collide...or Unite, Rather.

Image via People Magazine

On Thursday night, supermodel Gisele Bundchen and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (who is pretty good looking himself) wed in a small ceremony in Los Angeles. Two summers ago, I spotted this stunning couple while dining with friends at Pure Food and Wine (nothing on the menu had been heated above 118 degrees and absolutely no wheat, dairy, or soy products were involved in the preparation of the food...it was an "experience"). For the record, Gisele and Tom are just as beautiful in person as they are under the bright lights. And while I'm still a little bummed about the whole Bridget Moynihan thing (love you, Bridget!), I hope that Gisele and Tom are happy.

When Politics and Sports Collide

I may have mentioned before (for example, here and here) that I love unexpected pairings, such as fashion and politics, or politics and sports. Here's another example of the latter: Barack Obama took some time out of his schedule yesterday to catch the Chicago Bulls play the Washington Wizards at Washington's MCI Arena (the Bulls lost).

A Tale of Two Alexes

First, the bad: Alex Rodriguez was busted for steroids. Surprising? Not really. But it's still a pretty big story. President Obama found himself fielding a question about the steroid scandal from the White House press corps during his primetime news conference tonight. The President's take on scandal? It sets a really bad example for baseball's youngest fans. Agreed.

Now for the good: This is old news, but ... Alexander McQueen is coming to Target! (Target, by the way, is one of my favorite stores and my perennial "happy place.") As part of Target's new Designer Collaborations Initiative (not to be confused with the GO International line, which celebrates young, up-and-coming designers), McQueen is offering a collection of funky pieces, all priced under $129.99. This could get interesting. I'm even considering braving the crazy crowds at the Target's downtown Manhattan McQ Market this weekend to check out the goods.

Joe the Plumber Is Neither a Joe nor a Plumber. Plus Other Random Musings.

I've been trying to keep my blog a politics-free zone. Not because I'm not into politics -- I'm actually obsessed with politics -- but because life is stressful as it is, and I try to keep my blog full of happy things like college football rivalries and pretty dresses and beautiful home furnishings. But I'm just bursting at the seams about this: Joe the Plumber, the "average American" who was invoked at Wednesday's presidential debate no fewer than 20 times, is not a Joe. And he's not a plumber. He's some guy named Samuel who works for a plumbing company in Ohio. He does not have, and never has had, a plumbing license. Click here for the story (and for a little British flair).

Seriously? Is this is what we've come to? This has been the craziest election I've ever seen. I can't wait for November 4th. Please vote.

On an entirely different note, I ordered this media console today. And yesterday, I ordered these curtains for my bedroom and this pillow (the one with the circles) for the couch in my living room. Slowly but surely, my apartment is coming together. My goal is to have it in a fully functional state for the holiday season. Speaking of the holidays, I'm so excited for Thanksgiving weekend. My parents and brother are coming up from Florida to shop, relax, and help me assemble the aforementioned media console (a power drill is required!).

P.S. Florida had a bye this week, and all the Top 4 teams won. Well, the Texas-Missouri game isn't over yet, but it looks pretty bad for Missouri. The Longhorns are up 35-3 at the half. So barring disaster, Texas can is gonna stay in the number one spot this week.

Etc.

Confession: I've been studying for grad school exams (1 down, 1 to go), and thus I've been obsessing over them more than anything else this past week. But everyone needs a break every now and then. So, here goes!

1. As I've mentioned before, I love it when two seemingly different ideas/concepts/hobbies (e.g. fashion & sports (of course!), fashion & politics, politics & sports) collide. And so does the NY Times. In the Fashion & Style section of today's paper, the Times ran this fun article about the intensified coverage of the presidential candidates in magazines and websites best known for their entertainment and celebrity gossip coverage (you know the ones--People, US Weekly, TMZ.com). Very interesting! Apparently, John McCain celebrated his 71st (oh my goodness) birthday at a fancy Beverly Hills restaurant. See the footage for yourself at TMZ.com.

In other collision news, Tom Brady + Gisele Bundchen + Met Gala = Fashion & Sports at Their Finest.

2. The Rogan collection for Target hits stores on May 18. A preview of the collection, which features lots of modern cuts and organic cotton, is available here, courtesy of fabsugar.com. I'm hoping to find something in the collection that I can add to my treasure trove of "cute and really reasonably priced clothes I found when I went to Target for toothpaste and paper towels only."

3. The NBA Playoffs: I can't remember exactly when I completely lost track of everything that's been going on during the NBA post-season, but I'm pretty sure that it happened around the time that Jay-Z and Soulja Boy entered the fray during the Cavaliers-Wizards series. Unbelievable. Anyway, it seems that the Cavs play a second game against Boston tonight after losing the first game to the Celtics (final score: 76-72). And the Lakers, led by newly crowned MVP Kobe Bryant, have yet to lose a playoff game. I wonder if they can keep it up. Hmmm...keeping track of a winning streak could get interesting...

TIME Magazine's Design Roundup

This may be old news, but I just discovered that TIME Magazine has released its "Design 100" list, which includes the "people and ideas behind today's most influential design." I stumbled upon the list while visiting design*sponge, one of my favorite blogs and a TIME Magazine design honoree in the "websites" category. It's a fun list. Here are some of the highlights:

(1) The Tides, a South Beach hotel, made the list. I guess that my brother has good taste after all, or at least taste that would pass muster at TIME magazine (he recommended the hotel when I was planning a trip to Miami in January). TIME noted that the "diva of Ocean Drive" will only get better after designer Kelly Wearstler completes an overhaul of the interior. (Click here for the hotel's official website.)

(2) Several design websites made the list. In addition to design*sponge, which was recognized for its "city guides, guest blogs by interior stylists and sneak peeks into cool apartments and lofts across the country," several other websites, which I can't wait to explore, made the list. Those undiscovered sites include Green Home Guide, which offers advice on how to "go green" in each room of your house, Better Living Through Design, which offers a smorgasbord of design tips, and Fab Prefab, which makes prefabricated homes seem cool and modern. I'm especially excited about Fab Prefab...my opinion of prefab homes changed completely after I watched an episode of TLC's "My First House," during which a very young, newlywed couple purchased a HUGE prefab home on over an acre of land in North Carolina for under $100,000.

(3) I love Kiehl's products, and I was thrilled to see that Kiehl's was featured in the "More [Design] Stories" category. (And as a Kiehl's groupie, I am apparently in good company--according to TIME, Brad Pitt and Oprah Winfrey are Kiehl's fans, and Jackie Kennedy frequently requested that the products be delivered to her apartment at the Carlyle Hotel.) As the piece points out, the packaging is no-fuss (that's the "design" angle). In my opinion, the packaging can afford to be no-fuss because the products speak for themselves. Some anecdotal evidence: First, I keep a bottle of Creme de Corps, the lovely, magically light and rich all-over body creme on my nightstand and use it virtually every night. Second, the Kiehl's coriander fragrance smells like an herb garden and has universal appeal; I know men and women who count it among their favorites. And finally, when my mother tried to replenish her supply of Kiehl's Original Musk Oil only to discover that it was on backorder everywhere, she had me call the Kiehl's flagship store directly and place her name on a pre-order list so that she could stock up on the fragrance as soon as it became available again. Seriously. (Click here for the Kiehl's online store.)

For TIME Magazine's complete "Design 100" list, click here.

Obama on "The View"

Barack Obama was the marquee guest on one of my favorite television shows on Friday. He was both serious (discussing the Reverend Wright issue and Iraq) and light-hearted (joking that Brad Pitt received the "good-looking" genes from their shared gene pool--according to the New England Historic Genealogical Society, the two are distant cousins) while chatting with the women of "The View."

For an in-depth analysis of the non-verbal communication among Obama and the co-hosts, see this NY Times article. Juicy highlights include a discussion of the way that Barack Obama "patted Joy Behar's arm" and "whispered so intimately in Barbara Walters's ear." (As an aside, my Tivo and I were able to confirm that both of these things happened, but the gestures were so subtle and happened so fast that I probably wouldn't have noticed them had I not been primed by the article before I watched the episode...)

Yesterday I Spoke Too Soon

Defying all the polls and the pundits, Hillary Clinton won the New Hampshire Democratic primary yesterday with 39% of the votes, compared to Barack Obama's 36%. Among Republicans, John McCain emerged as the victor, just as many polls and pundits had predicted.

And now, a side note: The media's coverage of the primary process can be a little confusing, if not misleading. The early contests are important, sure, and a win in Iowa or New Hampshire can give a candidate the public opinion boost that s/he needs to win later contests. But what the candidates are really competing for is delegates to their party's National Convention. This primary season a Democrat needs 2,209 delegates to win the party's nomination, while a Republican needs 1,259 delegates. After his first place finish in Iowa and his second place finish in New Hampshire, Barack Obama has collected 25 delegates; after Hillary Clinton's third place finish in Iowa and first place finish in New Hampshire, she has collected 24 delegates. And after finishing second in Iowa and third in New Hampshire, John Edwards has collected 18 delegates. This competition is far from over, but prior to the New Hampshire primary, the media outlets had viewers thinking that Hillary Clinton's campaign was over. And today, after the New Hampshire primary, the media outlets maintain that Barack Obama's campaign needs to regroup. The media's tone seems just a little extreme.

Don't get me wrong, I'll continue to tune in to the non-stop coverage just as much as the next political junkie. This is just a friendly reminder to myself (and to similarly obsessed viewers). Beware!

The First Week of 2008 Has Been an Eventful One

The first week of 2008, in brief:

1. Monday night's BCS National Championship Game wasn't exactly a nail-biter. The game began and ended similarly to last year's match-up between Ohio State and Florida. Ohio State surged ahead in the beginning of the first quarter, only to be crushed by LSU during the rest of the game-- the same way that Ohio State was crushed by Florida last year. It was a predictable end to an unpredictable season.

2. The Business section of Sunday's New York Times included a feature on Burt's Bees (the eco-friendly cosmetics company that went green before it was cool to do so) that rivals US Weekly's cover stories. The man and woman behind Burt's Bees, Burt Shavitz and his one-time lover, turned Burt's beehives, which were nestled near the Maine turkey coop that Burt called home, into a multi-million dollar company that left Burt's lover rich and Burt himself with a few more dollars than he started with and a slightly larger turkey coop. Click here for the full article (it's absolutely scintillating).

3. On the political front, last Thursday Iowa decided that Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee would be the early victors in this year's presidential primary season. The New Hampshire primary is today, and early indications place Obama in first place among the Democrats and either John McCain or Mitt Romney ahead among the Republican candidates. It's unclear what happened to Hillary Clinton's campaign--she went from being the "inevitable" choice to battling John Edwards for second place in the early Democratic contests. What is clear is that the Obama campaign is taking the nation by storm. Voters are embracing Obama's message of hope and change, and Obama's fellow candidates--Democrats and Republican's alike--appear to be attempting to incorporate elements of Obama's message of change into their own campaigns. (MSNBC's unbelievably extensive coverage of the primary season can be found here. )

When Politics and Sports Collide...

About two months ago I posted a note about the various "fashions for sale" at the official online stores of most of the 2008 presidential candidates ("When Politics and Fashion Collide..., 10.26.2007). And now, politics and sports are colliding! Sports Illustrated posted this fun slide show of Barack Obama's one-on-one game against a Sports Illustrated senior writer while on the campaign trail in Spencer, Iowa. The pictures suggest that the senator from Illinois takes his basketball game very seriously.