May 15, 2011

Amy Walter

Mel: I was going to say that Amy Walter is really going for the Rachel Maddow look here, but a bit of research indicates that Amy Walter is actually older, and it looks like she's been identified with this hairstyle for quite a while, too, so I don't know which really came first.  Either way, Rachel Maddow isn't a bad style icon if you're a female making the pundit rounds, and I think this is a good look.  The suit is feminine without being frilly (the latter can easily go wrong), and I think the black adds a nice contrast.

Adam: Yeah, I'm liking the jacket, shirt, Maddow combo too. Subtle pinstripes work well here. Nicely done.

Spencer:  The hair and smile say, "I'm an adorable pixie from a fantasyland full of gumdrops and sugar plums."  But the suit is all business.  I'm loving it. 

Christiane Amanpour

Adam: Jumping Jehoshaphat. Yeah I said it. I mean, This Week can afford wardrobe experts for its #1 Sunday host, right? My guess is they've long since given up. "Let Christiane be Christiane" they tell their friends (because she won't give them any other choice.) Okay, first off, the jacket. Never mind the half-collar, half-no-collar. While, after weeks of carefully monitoring her ever-evolving jacket situation I doubt it's an accident, I'm just going to let that slide. The color is, like, mud brown. Terrible. And then she's got the gall to put on that ugly green shirt underneath. Maybe if she were cataloging communication patterns of gorillas in the jungle for nine or ten years, this would be okay. But no. It's a blight on human civilization. Lastly, what's up with the shoulder pads?? Dear lord. Is she going up against M. Bison in Round 3 or something?

Spencer: First things first, Adam.  You had to Google the proper spelling of "Jehosaphat," didn't you?  Moving on to Ms. Amanpour ... I actually don't mind the color scheme here.  What I can't forgive is the shoulder pads.  Look, Christiane, I know you like to spend your weekends watching old reruns of "Designing Women" on Nick-at-Nite (starring the incomparable Delta Burke), but just because those women claim to be designers doesn't mean you have to imitate their fashion sense.  Seriously, shoulder pads died out with jellies, Hypercolor t-shirts, and the phrase, "Dukakis Administration."  Get with the times. 

Mel: I agree with both of you - this looks like she's out on some sort of '80s safari.  I don't like the color scheme, either.  Initially, I wanted to say something like, "Oh, Christiane, being a serious reporter doesn't mean that you can't be fashionable" but I feel like that would imply that she's wearing something frumpy because she's so bookish and busy that she can't be bothered to worry about clothes.  I don't think that this is the case.  This is not to imply that she isn't bookish or busy - I'm sure she's both, and I think she does a great hosting job - it does look like she's actually trying, though.  She wearing clothes that fit, and that have a lot of detail - she's just choosing ones that don't work well for her.  It seems as though this could be a matter of taste rather than a matter of interest.  We could be in for a long ride here.

Cokie Roberts

Mel: I like the suit, the silk shell, and the necklace, but it is a lot of gray.  Ms. Roberts clearly recognized a need for a pop of color, and I agree with her instinct, but I'm torn on the execution.  I think ultimately I'll give this to her - the flower is a little bit on the huge side, and the trend of silk flower pins ended about ten years ago, but I don't think Cokie was trying to be trendy.  Moreover, it adds a nice seasonal touch of color that complements her and the outfit quite well, and, finally, if anyone can pull off wearing huge silk flower pins, I feel like it's southerners, of which Ms. Roberts is one.  I think this is a little like my Mike Murphy call from last week - it's a whimsical look that isn't for everyone, or necessarily for every day, but I think it looks good here.

Adam: While the flower is just borderline ridiculous, I'm not going to insult Ms. Roberts by comparing this to my own take on Mike Murphy last week. Murphy mistook a gag gift that someone actually meant to give Tucker Carlson for something that could reasonably be worn out in public. This is better. I'm liking the suit, silk, and necklace too.

David Gregory

Spencer: I actually like what David's doing this week.  It's a bit heavy on the pinstripes (tough to tell in the screencap, but both the suit and shirt have narrow pinstripes).  But I think he pulls it off with class and dignity.  Which is more than I can say for Newt Gingrich's interview.

Adam: Booooooooring. Sorry David. The magic's gone.

Mel: I like this.  I never noticed David Gregory dressed so well until we started this blog, but I have yet to find a problem.  He wears well-tailored suits, and seems to know what colors work for him.

Nikki Haley

Adam: To wear a pale yellow jacket, or not to wear it? Governor Haley chose poorly. (She also managed to say absolutely nothing except South Carolina is awesome for a solid 10 minutes, so she must be a decent politician. But that's for a different blog.)

Spencer: It's nice to see that the "Bee Girl" from the Blind Melon video grew up and found a successful career in politics.

Mel: I don't think pastels work well on her, but I'll give her a pass because she's clearly still excited about the Royal Wedding, wearing a Queen Elizabeth-inspired suit.  Since the bin Laden news trumped the Royal Wedding for a while, I think it's still timely.  Too bad it isn't flattering.

Peggy Noonan 

Adam: E.J. Dionne is his classic, shlubby self. Pretty sure he closed his eyes and picked out that shirt, tie, and jacket combo at random. Ms. Noonan on the other hand... the force is strong with this one. And I'm not saying that because she looks good. She does not. I'm saying that because she looks like Ewan McGregor in one of the last few Star Wars movies. Oh, and she talks like she thinks she's Yoda. 

Spencer: You can't tell from this shot, but E.J.'s tie has little pink and white stick figure men on it.  It's either a daring statement in favor of straight-gay relations, or just a damn ugly tie.  As for Ms. Noonan, I'm just impressed that she's able to dress herself.  Sometimes that's hard for "special" people.  

Mel: I like her outfit, and it looks even better on the close-ups.  The jewelry looks good, and I like the little sparkle in the shawl.  They're like a thousand points of light.  But seriously, I think it works for her.  Maybe a little casual for this venue, but it looks better on the close-up. 

May 8, 2011

Condoleezza Rice

Mel: I don’t know, if it were me, and I were a former Bush Administration official going on TV to talk about my boss’s successor taking down Osama bin Laden, I’d be going out of my way to project confidence and competence.  Apparently, Condoleezza Rice does not feel this way, because this jacket makes her look like someone who I wouldn’t trust to make decisions in a Macy’s, let alone the Situation Room.

Spencer: It looks like Condi has plans to meet Dubya for dinner at the local Applebee's after this interview.  I've always respected Secretary Rice, but that's before I knew that she dresses like a suburban soccer mom on date night when she's out of the office.  

Adam: I think she accidentally walked into Bob Ross’s studio, knocked over his canvass, and the dude just found a way to keep right on painting. God bless that man.

Christiane Amanpour

Mel:  Oh no – it’s back.  This time, Christiane pairs the biker professor jacket with a dress shirt and silver accessories.  As much as I didn’t like the gold accessories and pink shell from the first time we saw this blazer, I feel that this is much worse.  The earrings are too much, and so is the shirt.  I appreciate that she wears her suits more than once, in theory, but not when they shouldn’t have been worn in the first place. 

Spencer: I'm going to revisit the episode of Seinfeld where Jerry's girlfriend keeps wearing the same dress.  Does Amanpour have a closet full of identical leather/tweed jackets, like Superman?  Or did we simply catch her at the same point in her laundry rotation?  You'd think she'd change up the batting order to avoid this; it's been, what, three weeks since we saw this?  But more importantly, is this the smoking gun that proves that she chooses her own clothes on This Week?  After all, no professional stylist would allow her to wear the same thing only three episodes apart, would they?  

Adam: Christiane, what part of “except the earrings” did you NOT get on April 10^th? I didn’t know it was physically possible, but these are somehow even worse! Now you’re just trying to shoot the moon or something, right?

David Gregory

Spencer: Mr. Gregory, I've mocked you relentlessly the past few weeks.  But all is forgiven today.  I'm loving the orange tie as summer sets in, and the pocket square adds a subtle splash of class.  Simple.  Bold.  Effective.

Mel: I am a huge fan of orange.  It's an underrated and under-used color.  It can take a little work to pull it off, but I think he does a decent job here.  Also, nice suit.

Doris Kearns Goodwin

Adam: I like this. She reminds me of a stereotypical 1950s social studies teacher that I just invented. Would’ve gone with no necklace rather than that monstrosity, though. Yeesh.

Spencer: I feel like I should recuse myself from criticizing Ms. Goodwin, as she is a notorious Boston Red Sox fan.  As such, she can wear any necklace she likes so long as it raises Carl Crawford's batting average.

Elisabeth Bumiller

Adam: Bumiller, are you going on safari or something? If so, then you need some sort of hat, or this will look really, really silly.  

Spencer: If that thing were a couple of shades away, she'd need a curious monkey for a sidekick.

Helene Cooper

Mel: I'm addressing Bumiller and Cooper together: is there a new dress code at The New York Times that could be described as “DIY business jumpsuit?”  Neither of these are that terrible, but it seems a strange coincidence that both of the Times ladies are wearing color-coordinated pantsuit-and-shell combos.   I guess at least it adds an interesting component to what are pretty boring outfits.

 

Katty Kay

Mel: Katty Kay isn’t wearing something shiny, and I think that is great. 

Spencer: You can't go wrong with red.  Bonus points for finding a successful career in journalism when your parents clearly named you with the exotic dancing industry in mind.  

Adam: I miss the shiny stuff. Bring it back! (I like shiny things.)

 

Mike Murphy

Spencer: I've been saving up all my mean today for Mike Murphy.  What the hell, Mike?  First of all, you're neither qualified nor good looking enough to replace Heath Ledger as The Joker in the "Dark Knight" sequel.  Secondly, let me say a few words about bow ties.  Actually, I better not, as this is a family blog.   

Mel: This makes me happy.  I know that I shouldn’t like the bow tie, but somehow I think he totally pulls this off, and it makes me smile.  He’s not the kind of guy that wears a bow tie every day on principle, and it doesn’t look like he's wearing a bow tie to wear a bow tie, like it’s some sort of joke, or like he's trying to be endearingly quaint.  It looks like he actually took it seriously, thought about the color, chose a nice tie, and I think he really makes this work.  This may well be the only bow tie ensemble I’ve ever liked.  That said, if he starts doing it every week, he risks becoming the guy that always wears bow ties and it loses its whimsical quality.  So, good job, Mike – but use this sparingly.  

Adam: Who does he look like? I’m pretty sure it’s a cross between the Toyman (One of Superman’s top enemies, believe it or not) and the Riddler, Also, love the Sally Jesse shades, Mike.  You’re like twinsies

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Spencer: Any time an outfit sparks not one, but two separate comic book themed-jokes, it's bad by definition.  Oh, and Mel -- you're dead to me now.