Fashionistas turn Recessionistas

"This is a bit ridiculous."
"This, Madame, is Versailles." -Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette had three palace rooms devoted entirely to housing her wardrobe. During a time when the French didn't have enough money to buy flour to make bread, she was still sporting her signature hairsyle, the pouf, which stood three feet tall and was covered in flour.

While the people of France were starving and cold, she was disposing of her entire wardrobe (all three rooms full!) at the end of each season, and buying a new one-- all on their tax dollar.
And while Sarah Palin might not be crying, "let them eat cake," she did recently receive criticism for her September shopping spree at Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. The outing produced a brand new wardrobe for Palin and amounted to a fee of $150,000, which the Republican National Committee funded.

Of course there are a number of women who frequently manage to ring up such a bill (especially at Saks and Neiman Marcus).

But just because the rest of Versailles was doing it, didn't mean Marie Antoinette should do it. She was supposed to be leading the elite and showing compassion toward her people. So should Palin be spending $150,000 on her clothing when there are people who's homes, some of which are less than $150,000 are being foreclosed?

Personally, I'd rather watch a well-dressed candidate speak than a poorly dressed one (judge me). And although I admit that I am often drawn to labels (judge me again) maybe Palin should have considered the economy before running to Neiman Marcus.

I'm not saying she needs to replace Saks for Sears or anything. However, she could consider following in the footsteps of the transformed fashionistas, the recessionistas. These women admit that they love Isaac Mizrahi's newest line. But, they also like to shop. Therefore, instead of buying his line at Saks, they're going to buy his line- for Target.

So, as opposed to being able to buy one purse at full price, they can buy the entire collection from Target.

Of course, if you're spending just as much, it might not really be that much of a save (the ever-burning question: quantity v. quality. Will we ever know?).

I don't really know if Palin would have seemed less guilty if she bought everything from the Women's section at Target, as opposed to buying her favorites at Saks.

Besides, maybe Neiman's promised her that if the could outfit her for the campaign, they'd all support the Republican party...(this would bring a whole new slew of controversy, I'd imagine).

In the end, I guess Palin decided to remain a fashionista, and steer clear of the new, and oh-so-enticing trend: Recession Chic. She just must be one of those women that really believes you pay for what you get.

Sure, she might be criticized for saying a few dumb things and spending a couple extra dollars, but as far as I've heard, she hasn't told anyone to eat cake just yet.

The four four one does formal

"The first time you marry for love, the second for money, and the third for companionship." Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

Exactly forty years ago, on October 20, 1968, Jackie Kennedy married Aristotle Onassis in Skorpios, Greece.
The event was controversial, as many felt Jackie should still have been grieving for JFK, who was assassinated in the fall of 1963. However, RFK had also been assassinated four months prior, in June of 1968 and Jackie was beginning to fear that her children would soon be in danger, as the Kennedy family was a clear target.

Because Ari Onassis had so much money, he was able to offer her children the protection they needed, as the secret service was no longer available to them.

Ari supposedly wanted to marry Jackie because of the social status she could bring him.

While their marriage may not have maintained the same (though really only perceived) allure of the relationship between Jackie and JFK, both Jackie and Ari were able to offer something that the other needed.

What Onassis could not offer to Jackie, though, who stood at 5'8", was height. Though he was quite the powerful shipping tycoon and held an impressive sum of money, he only checked in at 5'5".

Jackie may have inherited millions from Onassis, but it didn't come at a small cost. She, the fashionista, was forced to retire her high heels. Of course, for all that Ari was willing to offer her, I may have sworn myself to a life in flats as well.

This weekend, we chose not to honor the marriage of Ari and Jackie (or the death of her shoes) as we busted out our finest heels for our fall formal.

It was quite the event at the Indianapolis Zoo. Jim was able to come for the weekend and was lucky enough to meet my wonderful friends. Though our event didn't quite hold a candle to Jackie and Ari's wedding, we did celebrate the event in style. We may not have had the diamonds and Dom Perignon, but at least we had our high heels.

rules, rules, rules

Every family has to have a few rules.

Most kids aren't allowed to swear or eat sweets until their greens are gone. But each family also holds their own house rules that reflect their values.

A few that stick out of from my childhood:
1. Hate and shut up are cuss words
2. Pepsi and Purdue are also bad words (in a different sort of way)
3. You always have to take a no thank-you bite
4. You have to rub your parents feet for thirty minutes every night before bed...

OK, the fourth one is a lie. Obviously.

But these rules provide insight into my family. We're Hoosiers, not Boilermakers. We love each other and would never ever use the H-Word. These are a small representative of our values.

Yesterday, when I was babysitting, I was momentarily shocked at how much the values of parents are impressed upon their children. I was babysitting Riley, who is six years old. While we were playing soccer in the front yard, she stopped and said, "Who are you voting for?"

Another house rule that I learned at a young age was that you never, ever ask someone this question (or, obviously their age). So, true to my roots, I avoided the question, "I'm not sure yet..."

"Well, I'm voting for Obama," Riley told me. "Well, actually, it's so funny because I cannot even vote. Did you know I can't vote? But I'd vote for Obama."

Apparently, Riley's parents must have been talking about politics in front of her, which led her young mind to adopt their ideas as her own.

I wondered if I had said, "Oh I hate Obama!" or "I'm actually doing a write-in, I'm hoping Bush will go for round three," if Riley would have changed her mind about me as a babysitter.

I mean, really, I know how I used to (sometimes still do) feel about Pepsi drinkers. It's just wrong!

Riley's shocking proclamation made me happy that I'd been raised among a bunch that doesn't frequently talk politics in public. While I admire those who are strong enough in their opinions to speak openly about their beliefs, I find that I'm often too uncertain and too uneasy to divulge my own thoughts.

However, when I saw that Medusa Hair Salon is now offering the Palin hairdo, I felt a little confused. The salon will do your hair like Palin and donate $75 of the expense to Obama's campaign.

I mean, no, you don't have to look like Obama because you're supporting him (though I do support anyone trying to emulate Jackie O, so Michelle Obama might be a suitable alternative). But, it seems a little funny to dress like the enemy...

I'd imagine it might send mixed signals.

"Oh, you look a lot like Sarah Palin."
"Oh, ya, I did my hair like her because I hate her and want to show my support of Barack."

It's just unnatural.

I mean, I wouldn't walk around carrying a Diet Pepsi while wearing a Purdue shirt (though this does describe my best friend Katie...) in order to prove that I love Diet Coke and IU.

But, of course, in my family, another rule is that you have to remain loyal (to your country, your state, your products). So, if that's how they want to support Obama, more power to them.