Heard on the Hill: Fashion Police Report for Duty
Visible bra lines on Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), over-accessorizing by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Kathy Dahlkempers (D-Pa.) use of animal prints (one well-done, the other over-the-top): These topics are no longer just the subject of idle chitchat among women watching C-SPAN; they’re blog fodder.
New York-based image consultant Christina Logothetis takes on the do’s and don’ts of political fashion in her blog, the Style of Politics. The forum, which debuted last year, focuses on the message that women send through their clothes. But instead of falling into catty sniping, Logothetis treats her subjects’ clothing choices as teachable moments.
When Lincoln appeared in a campaign ad sporting a sensible pink button-down with her white bra visible through the fabric, Logothetis helpfully noted that a nude-colored bra would have solved the problem.
Her treatment of Giffords was similarly news-you-can-use. “Dangling earrings and chunky necklace and flower brooch and cuff bracelet is definitely too much,” she wrote.
Logothetis tells HOH that her aim isn’t to trivialize women in politics, but rather to show all women how to put their best face forward.
Logothetis has a day job in arts administration and is studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology. A former Washington resident who says she has a few clients in the political arena, Logothetis says her biggest advice to female Members of Congress is simple: Touch up your lipstick. “It’s a quick fix that makes you look alive and a little younger,” she says.
The Magic Man
While the Los Angeles Lakers are battling it out with the Boston Celtics in the NBA finals, one Laker legend is lending an assist in the political arena.
Earvin “Magic” Johnson wrote to Rep. Kendrick Meek’s Senate race supporters Tuesday, offering them the chance to win one of three basketballs that he signed. Donors to the Florida Democrat who give $5 or more before Sunday are automatically entered to win one of the balls (although, technically, you can enter without contributing).
“On the court, it always takes a complete team working together to win. The campaign trail is no different,” Johnson writes. “Everyone has a role to play. Please get in the game today.”
A Meek spokesman tells HOH that the Hall of Famer signed the basketballs in May when he appeared at a Meek fundraiser. The event marked one of the few times the 6-foot-4-inch lawmaker didn’t tower over everyone else, the spokesman pointed out. (Johnson measures 6 feet 9 inches.)
Johnson isn’t the first athlete to lend a hand to Meek’s Senate bid; NBAers Alonzo Mourning and Dwyane Wade also appeared at fundraisers, and the campaign sponsored NASCAR star Mike Wallace at the Daytona 500.
Kevin Costner to the Rescue?
Among the super-techy witnesses at a Capitol Hill hearing today (with titles such as “director of the Land Remediation and Pollution Control Division in the National Risk Management Research Laboratory at the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development”) is a familiar name. Actor Kevin Costner will appear before the House Science and Technology Subcommittee on Energy and Environment to talk about BP’s oil spill.
But don’t think Costner’s aquatic expertise is limited to his star stint in “Waterworld.” He’s a partner at the firm Ocean Therapy Solutions, which has developed a device that could help clean up the massive oil slick. According to news reports, BP is testing the device.
Costner and his scientist brother’s interest in ocean-cleaning is long-standing. ABC News reports that the Costner’s research “has created a powerful centrifuge that he claims can separate oil from water and dump the oil into a holding tank.”
Maybe “Operation Top Kill” will be the name of Costner’s next big-budget action flick.
The Cousteaus Are Everywhere
The Cousteau family is taking over Capitol Hill this week.
Fabien Cousteau, the grandson of legendary ocean researcher Jacques Cousteau, on Monday launched a nonprofit, Plant a Fish, which seeks to revitalize oceans by planting oysters, sea turtles and mangroves around the world.
Cousteau met with Sen. George LeMieux (R-Fla.) and Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) on Tuesday to talk about the project, HOH hears.
Today, Fabien’s cousin, Philippe Cousteau, CEO of EarthEcho International, will testify before a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee about the Gulf Coast oil spill.
Finally, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) introduced a bill Monday to honor the legacy of Jacques Cousteau and “shine a bright light on the fragile state of our oceans and their habitats,” she said.
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