Quantcast
MobileRJ | RSS TwitterTwitter FacebookFacebook E-mail Alerts
Home manage Las Vegas Review-Journal
  Jobs Cars Homes Shopping Travel Weddings Golf Best of Las Vegas Photo   Search:

RECENT EDITIONS
Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon

image
Sep. 25, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Palin: Ready for Change?

Style pros weigh in on Sarah Palin's look

By XAZMIN GARZA
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Hair salons in town give Palin's hair a thumbs down.
Photos by The Associated Press



Local opticians say clients are inquiring about rimless glasses but it's not a trend yet. Style expert Finola Hughes compares Palin's look to a caricature, but approves of her pencil skirts.

The votes are in. Sarah Palin's style wins by a landslide. Or does it?

The Republican vice presidential candidate may have caused rimless Kazuo Kawasaki frames to sell out and women to reconsider the French twist, but it takes more than a village to constitute a fashion maven. Just ask Jackie O's style team -- and a few industry insiders. Most agree that Palin is indeed ready for change.

Most Popular Stories
  • Show Us Your Purse
  • Heart and Sola
  • All Good in the Hood
  • Style Scoop
  • HERE & NOW
  • The Hostess with the Mostest
  • ABOUT FACE: Women now willing to discuss cosmetic injectables
  • DOUBLE TAKE: Cameron Diaz's Elegant Charm
  • SHOW US YOUR PURSE
  • A Return Engagement




    • "She's 44?" asks Michael Cole, co-owner of Liquid Salon in Henderson. "Well, she's pretty outdated for her 44-year-old self."

    According to Cole, Palin's aging herself with her updos and "puffy" bangs. He'd rather see her with a shorter cut and a side-swept bang that lays flat. The Alaskan governor's skin and makeup get a pass, but her hair fails miserably in Cole's opinion.

    His salon hasn't had a single request for Palin's look, not for a lack of a mature clientele, the Liquid co-owner says, but because his clients are "more up to the trends."

    Jennifer Frederick, on the other hand, says about 10 percent of her clients over the age of 35 have asked for the Palin upsweep.

    The Ritual Salon and Spa director agrees that the look has an old expiration date but she guesses the sudden interest in a style that reminds her of "Texas girl hair" has more to do with Palin than the hair itself.

    An attractive female leader who has no qualms comparing herself to a pit bull can have that effect.

    "It's the first time we have women in the forefront of an election," says Frederick, citing Hillary Clinton in the primaries. "Women are excited, as they should be."

    That said, Frederick would rather see Palin in a shorter cut with sharp edges. She does, however, find her highlights "phenomenal."

    As for her glasses, James Snow, optician at Vision Source Summerlin/Lakes, doesn't think she needs to change a thing, despite the fact rimless frames saw their heyday a few years back.

    "I've had three people ask me about rimless and they're asking about it because of (Palin)," says Snow. "She really scored with those glasses."

    Snow says her Kazuo Kawasaki frames have a very limited distrubution and run between $375-$400.

    Her classic oval-shaped face could work with most lens shapes, he says, but the rectangular ones she's chosen are particularly flattering. The frames also have a drill mount, which makes the temples a little more prominent.

    Although he had three inquiries after Palin delivered her acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, only two made purchases and they weren't for rimless lenses. The obsession with her glasses hasn't hit Las Vegas the way it has the rest of the country -- yet.

    Snow predicts the talk will translate into a full-blown trend if the Republican ticket wins the presidential election in November.

    Host of the Style Network's "How do I Look?" Finola Hughes hopes -- for the sake of fashion -- that that doesn't happen. "I'm just not sure why someone would want people to say they looked like her," she says.

    Hughes calls Palin's banana clips, eyeglass preference and bangs "all too distracting." And she doesn't stop there. The style expert would like to see Palin throw out the restrictive, boxy jackets in favor of single-button jackets with classic fits. Hughes does, however, give the pencil skirts a green light.

    The problem, as she sees it, lies in Palin's intentions. Rather than come off as the intelligent woman she's going for, Hughes interprets it as a cliché.

    "It smacks of the sexy office moment when the woman shakes out her chignon and whips off her glasses," she says. "She's trying to look smart but she ends up looking like a caricature."

    Newsvine Digg Fark Technorati reddit StumbleUpon del.icio.us Slashdot Propeller Mixx Furl Twitter MySpace Facebook Google Bookmarks Yahoo! Bookmarks Windows Live Favorites Ask MyStuff myAOL Favorites

    Leave Your Comment 27 Reader Comments
    Terms & Conditions
    The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsiblity of the authors. The reviewjournal.com does not review comments before publication nor guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by the comment policy. If you see a comment that violates the policy, please notify the web editor.

    Some comments may not display immediately due to an automatic filter. These comments will be reviewed within 48 hours. Please do not submit a comment more than once.
    Current Word Count:

    Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background.

    Debra wrote on September 27, 2008 10:32 PM: It is not surprising that Sarah Palin would be "picked on" for yet another thing. When you look at some of the outfits Hillary wore, I can't believe anyone can think of criticizing her. I don't remember any of the liberal media ever picking on her unflattering attire. I think Governor Palin looks smart and professional, and isn't that the job she's trying to portray? At the very least, she's a woman who's likely been watching "What not to wear"!


    Dave wrote on September 26, 2008 05:14 PM: The only thing she knows is hick America. She is not smart enough to lead this country, not by a long shot.


    Jacque wrote on September 26, 2008 04:54 PM: Sarah Palin looks great just the way she is! She's a smart gal...let her be real, not turn her into a fake. Gibson is the one who looked uncomfortable. She knows middle America better than anyone I've heard recently.


    Bob wrote on September 26, 2008 04:33 PM: Oh well. I'm still ten times smarter than Palin so blow me, MORAN. lol


    BOB IS MORE DUMB, ER I MEAN STUPIDER wrote on September 26, 2008 04:17 PM: Hey Bob...

    Stupider? I think the only idiot is YOU with your STUPIDER post.

    BOB -- a product of dumocrats and Nevada education, both lack credibility.


    Bob wrote on September 26, 2008 03:48 PM: She is probably stupider than Bush and that is scary. And that town she was mayor of is a total dump, maybe the worst town in Alaska.


    Taylor wrote on September 26, 2008 02:11 PM: I'll be happy to answer that. Like I said, she knew somethings about the Bush Doctrine - she just however was not at that moment able to decipher exactly what part of it Gibson was talking about. And while she knows the U.S.'s policy on pre-empting eminent threats to the U.S., she probably didn't know exactly which policies fell into "The Bush Doctrine" and which just fell into general U.S. policy. To me that particular little piece of knowledge is basically clerical and inconsequential.
    Tom, can you answer this: Obama said that Iran is a tiny country, and no great threat. Was that mispoken/incorrect words or is he just ignorant of the importance of foreign policy?


    Tom wrote on September 26, 2008 01:54 PM: Manny and Taylor - You are right, most Americans don't know one thing about the Bush Doctrine. Great point. Also, most Americans aren't running for VP either so their background would next to nothing too. SHE is responsible for knowing something about this stuff and she didn't. The job of the Republican party was to prepare her for that interview and they didn't. She looked completely unprepared and lost. Her BS answer only questions how she would handle certain problems that could arise. The Republicans knew every question that could have been asked and she was lost...bottom line. Stop making excuses. Your two points that you keep spewing are flaws for the Democrats. Are they possible mispoken/incorrect words or are they ignorance of important US policy? You answer that.


    Ken wrote on September 26, 2008 01:43 PM: What is funny is people like JA point out Palin's background as a mayor and conveniently leave out the fact that she is a governor and the most popular governor in all 57, uh, I mean, 50 states.

    A governor of a state has much more responsiblities than any senator, state or federal.


    Ken wrote on September 26, 2008 01:37 PM: Dr. Steve Blackburn

    That was funny.

    Not a problem, Steve.

    I was just getting ready to grill you, but I read your later letter, so I am also sometimes guilty at jumping the gun.

    Ken (Another strong conservative)


    Read All Comments