This post is not about Hillary Clinton
It’s about collars.
The other day, Ann Althouse asked a question about this collar, which happens to have been worn by Hillary Clinton:
Can anybody explain Hillary’s giant-gaping-collar costume?
It’s like an old-fashioned satin blouse for a person with an insanely giant neck… perhaps the Incredible Hulk on a day when he’s feeling girly and is tired of the color green.
There were so many answers that a new thread was started to accommodate them. From Emil Jannings in “The Blue Angel” to Alan Shepard to Star Trek, they’re pretty funny.
The collar is rather unfortunate on Hillary, to be sure. But I think it’s a style that would be very hard to wear no matter who you are—unless you happen to be Jackie Kennedy or Audrey Hepburn, whom I think it really is meaning to hark back to.
Jackie K. and Audrey H. were not Everywoman, nor were they “of a certain age.” They could pull it off because they were slender and beautiful (I almost wrote “petite,” but that was wrong; both women were rather tall, Jackie 5′ 7″ and Audrey the same but even thinner). Both women had what was called “impeccable style”; they knew what looked good on them. And although just about anything looked good on them, they opted for a classic, timeless, elegant simplicity.
This is what I remember:
The largeness of the collar emphasizes the slender and feminine beauty of the whole. Don’t try it unless you’ve got similar characteristics.
[ADDENDUM: Ann Althouse comments on my theory, and a commenter there points out that Marilyn Monroe had her own version of the big-collar look:
A bit more frou-frou.]
Hiilary’s also appears to be satin. That’s a bit much.
Reminds me of these guys, the speakers for Guild Navigators in Dune:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/330803535099995199/
Of the two ladies, there’s nothing like a smile to put the bow on a properly wrapped package. On the other hand, there’s no collar, no couture — haute or faible — that could make a termagent attractive. Self-induced hypnotic trances are of no avail, either to the outfit or the character.
expat:
I believe it’s peau de soie, if I’m not mistaken.
That is a bit stiffer and less shiny than satin, and was also a very popular fabric in the late50s/early60s. I had quite a few party dresses made of it.
Neo,
It doesn’t look like Hillary is at a party, though. The line between fancy dress and everyday or professional dress has been erased.
I wonder what Hillary would look like in jeans and a polo orT shirt. That’s the kind of thing I wear for a quick run to the supermarket. And I don’t bring in someone to do my eye makeup.
An illusion of a swan neck through fashion choices. There is nothing wrong with enhancing aesthetic appeal, and everyone, women and men, should strive to present themselves in the best light.
Interesting change of pace from her usual Mao jacket look. Are the Mao jackets a dog whistle to the left, or just a taste of things to come?
Hillary is wearing some sort of medal, so maybe she thought the giant collar would work better with the giant medal hanging from a wide ribbon?
Expat, I imagine Hillary would not look so good in regular folk outfits like jeans and a polo because her lower torso/thigh area gotten quite large. Though her weight has definitely fluctuated over the past decade, she’s switched to suits with a longer jacket in effort to camouflage the weight. Some of them work quite well (as they should given how many $$$ thousands she’s probably spending on them) but I can’t remember the last time her full waist was discernible – it’s always covered in a jacket, or if the jacket is open, a loose, untucked blouse. Maybe I’ve just not seen her in a formal dress in a while…
n.n. : “everyone…..should strive to present themselves in the best light.”
Sorry, I go for comfort.
Graduation robe?
How can anyone even look at the collar with those eyes zeroed in on you?
Maybe she was going for a queenly look.
One of these things is not like the others.
One of the (many) differences between Hillary and the other two women is Hillary is wearing a gold necklace inside of the collar. The necklace competes with and detracts from the simple lines of the collar and the shape of her neck. The large collar should be the ONLY adornment, other than some modest ear rings, above the shoulders.
DKWalser:
On closer inspection, I also detect a possible dark (perhaps black?) shirt of some sort underneath the jacket or overblouse.
To top it all off, it’s not a good color for her.
That said, older women don’t have it easy. Outfits and jewelry that looked perfectly fine a few years earlier seem wrong.
Barbara Bush has the pearl thing down as a solution.
The stitch-like necklace looks like her head was grafted on, and the two microphones look like life-support lines. The whole picture is straight out of “That Hideous Strength:” The Head.
Neo: You are on to something.
When Barack was first running for Prez the WSJ ran an extensive photo essay comparing Michelle’s clothes to Jackie’s. A near exact match.
Which lead me to my theory that was probably cooked up by Axelrod: portray the Obamas as the black Kennedys in every way possible. I also think Denzel Washington gave secret lessons to Barack on how to act presidential. The lessons worked.
good try everyone, but I believe it was originally designed to hide the bolts in her neck. Since they’ve been sawed off for the campaign, I believe she decided to turn it down and show off the swan-like neck she’s clearly invested time keeping nicely toned.
The Anchoress (Elizabeth Scalia) commented on one of Hillary’s fashion hits (lovely black jacket that truly suits her) followed by a big miss (a jacket reminiscent of Chairman Mao) here:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/theanchoress/2015/03/10/this-is-how-hillary-should-always-dress/
Agree completely!
As for the wide collar, it reminds me of the style that female leads in Alfred Hitchcock movies often wore, but you truly have to be built like Tippi Hedren or Grace Kelly to pull it off. And Hillary isn’t. (Not many of us are, sadly!)
CV,
The Anchoress is right. The black suit looks like something you could wear to the office, i.e., professional. If you are running for pres that’s how you should look. Hillary can’t decide whether to present herself as a pro, a first lady, or a cool fashionista. She fails at all most of the time.
I admit to being significantly “style-challenged.” But even I know it’s not a good idea for Hillary to “hark back” to the likes of Jackie Kennedy or Audrey Hepburn. She should not invite comparisons to those beautiful, elegant women.
What difference does it make at this point?
Hillary Clinton’s people have taken the collar off of the 3/4 sleeve Nehru “jackets” that she has been wearing in every color of the rainbow (including orange) and replaced it with this imitation cowl collar in every collar as if trying to imitate Jackie Kennedy in the past week 9-20-15, in baby pink, light powder blue etc., all the colors that Mrs. Kennedy looked fabulous in. Then there was the little mary sunshine white jacket that has appeared numerous times in a short two or three week period. Surely with all her millions she can afford something more flattering to HER persona. Even something off the rack at Steinmark would look better! Do her a favor and dress her more professionally.
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