Remember that cringe-worthy moment from Mean Girls? And yet—there is something to be said for dressing for success. Also for knowing a good idea when you see it. Which brings me to how I found myself wearing pantsuits for about two weeks straight, in an attempt to channel Hillary Clinton and her highly executive realness.
Pantsuits and their sloppy big-shouldered breadth and clunky cuffs always just made me think of frat boys who work in finance, still sweating and drinking as much as they did in their college days. The intentionally unfeminine look is also often intentionally un-figure flattering—boxy blazer? Say goodbye to your waist. The presidential candidate has managed to captivate the nation with her Capitol Hill clothing choices—myself included. Journalists and pundits have analyzed her aesthetic from necklines to the presence of pleats in her pants.
What exactly did it mean when she wore a creamy white number to the debate? Can she rule in a levelheaded hue of royal blue? Or maybe she will reign in almighty red?
Even her more casual leather or zip-up jackets resemble a blazer. When she was the First Lady, Clinton tended toward traditional skirt suits; if she did wear a pantsuit, it was often in ultra-femme colors like baby pink or fuchsia.
It was when Clinton launched her own political agenda that she embraced trousers, this time in more muted tones—which one can probably attribute to her desire to be treated as an equal in the male-dominated world of politics. And it speaks to her no-nonsense competence. When it comes to channeling some much-needed authority, well, there are certainly worse people to dress like.
