April 17, 2011

Alan Greenspan

Mel: The ill-fitting brown (?) suit, baggy shirt, and burgundy tie make Greenspan look like the economics professor type of finance guy, not the corporate type (see Geithner below). While I have nothing against academia in general, it is one of the last places I’d go to for fashion advice. Mr. Greenspan, I realize that you announced today that you believe the Bush tax cuts should permanently expire, but I’d honestly be happy with you keeping yours until you can buy a nicer TV outfit. 

Adam: I think this outfit fits the whole Greenspan mystique. It says "I don't care anymore, and really never did" without being all in your face about it. I'd still like to see him stroll in with a Busted Tee and parachute pants just once, but hey, it's Alan friggin' Greenspan. Respect.

Mel: Adam, interesting take.  I’m intrigued.  If he did it as a “I’m Alan Greenspan – I do what I want (and I really want to wear sweatpants, but I’ll be gracious and just wear the suit equivalent)” move rather than putting thought into it, I completely respect that.  If he did put thought into it, I stand by my initial post.




Christiane Amanpour

 Adam: So, apparently April 17th was Turtle Day. Who knew? This means the necklace gets a free pass. But the shirt? Dear Lord, Christiane. How did you go from a bad-ass biker jacket last week to... this? What is it, abstract art? Wallpaper from the 1960s? Pictures of rotten eggs in various stages of decay? Seriously, has ABC News's wardrobe department just given up on you or are these choices some bizarre clause you insisted on in your contract, no doubt for diabolically conspiratorial reasons? America needs to know.

Mel: This picture doesn’t quite do justice to how unflattering this shirt is. Again, I like that they’re trying to move away from masculine-looking suit and shirt combos, but this has been a painful transformation, starting with last week’s pale pink shell paired with a leather and tweed suit, and continuing with this week’s executive pirate/corporate gypsy look. I think she looks her best when she’s on assignment, reporting live from the field, and presumably isn’t overthinking it. More of that, less puffy shirts.

Spencer: See, here's the problem with Amanpour.  We all know that she's really happier as a field reporter.  Think of her as the love child of Lois Lane and Indiana Jones.  So you put her in the studio and this is what you get.  Complete confusion.  



David Gregory



Spencer: Last week, Gregory managed to make purple look boring and weak.  Apparently, he listened.  I’m loving the color scheme here – navy suit paired with light blue tie, the classic white shirt and matching pocket square adding brightness and pop.  Strong.  Clean.  Confident.  Minor deduction for the pattern on the tie, but I’ve seen worse.

Mel: I like the tie. This all works.

Adam: Sure, sure, but that pocket square can go straight to H-E-doublehockeysticks. Excuse my English.

Spencer: Cut him some slack, Adam.  What's he supposed to do if, while lobbing irrelevant questions and softballs at Paul Ryan, he gets a runny noise?  If he's got a pocket square, problem solved.



Jennifer Granholm



Spencer:  Granholm could easily come off as bookish with those glasses and the color choice of her jacket.  But the broad, sweeping lapels add just the right contrast.  Instead, I think she comes off as dynamic and authoritative.  Too bad she ruins it by stealing David Gregory’s haircut.

Mel: Yeah, somehow she kind of pulls this off, despite the fact that I’m pretty sure her jacket is a recycled sofa from the 1970s. Seriously, it looks like velour or some kind of upholstery. The color also kind of reminds me of the uniforms that the girls from that girls' school in Harry Potter wore. I think it was in the Goblet of Fire – the one with the Tri-Wizard Tournament. (A little Google image-searching reveals that this is a different shade of blue, but whatever - it's what came to mind.)  Anyway, this is probably one of the rare instances where I can describe an outfit with wizards, velour, and upholstery, and it isn’t a negative review.



Jon Meacham

 Mel: I like this. Well-played. Classic. Hopefully, unlike Newsweek, a nice suit and a nice tie never go out of style.  I enjoyed the old Newsweek, and I enjoy this ensemble.

Adam: Yeah, I give this a big thumbs-up too. I also think that his Newsweek wasn't bad. It was America that just didn't live up to his standards. We'll try harder next time, Meacham, we swear -- just one more chance!

Spencer: I'm going to be the dissenting vote here.  Both Newsweek and this suit put me to sleep.  Also, the pinstripes clash with the strongly patterned tie.  I know you won the Pulitzer for your Andrew Jackson biography, so I'll try to put this delicately, Jon.  Andrew Jackson would beat you like a cross-eyed mule for this suit.



Tavis Smiley



Spencer:  File this one under the Department of Ironic Last Names.  If you watched the entirety of the MTP roundtable today, you’ll know that this picture is the closest that Tavis Smiley came to, um, smiling.  Honestly, he makes me so sad that it’s hard to concentrate on his fashion choices.  Turn that frown upside down, Tavis!

Mel: I don’t expect Tavis to smile all the time, and I have to say that I think he looks confident in this shot. I’m a fan of navy ties in general. I think he pulls off this look pretty well.

Adam: I'm not really sold on a navy tie with what looks like a charcoal black suit. Fail.

Spencer: Navy and black don't go together?  I may have to consult Esquire on this.



Tim Geithner

 Mel: This is pretty safe, but honestly, I think a Treasury Secretary in anything else would make me uneasy. He’s someone that looks like he’s been around his share of boardrooms, but not like he’s more concerned with style than substance. I think that’s fitting for Geithner in particular. I approve.

Adam: I like this, though maybe it wouldn't hurt if he sat up a little straighter. (Not that I'm his mom or anything. That would be highly improbable... or would it?!?!?) Other than that, boring works for me with this guy.

Spencer: It's good to see Josh Lyman's political career doing so well after his disgracefully brief tenure as Chief Of Staff to the Santos White House.