Stylish with Substance

If you didn't hear, Michelle Obama's recent 'do was a sort-of-did. It's the temporary up-do now called the "Tuck Up". Read the story here on Pursed Lips.

Tools:

We know this style seems extremely difficult to pull off, but maybe not! Here are the instructions. (Via the Canadian Press.)

"It's super simple," says Amy Farid, editorial stylist at Manhattan's Bumble and Bumble salon. "You probably need some layers in your hair if you don't want it to look like a bun. Around here, we call it 'the faux bob.'"

Basically you make a loose ponytail, twist and roll it, she explains, and pretty much anyone with hair longer than the chin can do it."

Farid lays out the steps:

• If you have just-above-the-shoulder hair with a few waves like Obama, pull the hair into a ponytail, twist it and tuck it under the nape of the neck. Use bobby pins, positioned into Xs, to secure the hair.
• If you have long hair, make a loose, low ponytail, then roll it and tuck it under.
• For very fine hair, try teasing (just a bit) the portion of the hair above the ponytail. Conversely, for very thick hair, pull down on some of the top hair and also secure the ends under the roll, probably using hairpins.

"Do" or a Don't, It Might Matter Less. Michelle's Short Style is TEMPORARY...

Bloggers get a lot of flack for posting unfactual information, but at least we have the excuse of lacking resources and contacts. In a Google News search, I'm unsure how to weed blogs from newspapers, but if you try, you will find actual news/big media publishing commentary (hmm journalistic commentary? Oxymoron? I guess we're all just bloggers these days, some just have the luck of more respect!) on the First Lady's "cut" - no questions asked.

No interviews done.

That is, not at first. Mrs. O's stylist, Johnny Wright, has spoken "up" now, about his style-to-the-stars temporary up-do: The "Tuck Up". We don't quite understand it, but we're researching more, and will have a How-To-'Do coming up next!

The interview was given to, and news broken by, Us Weekly. Whom Best Week Ever wants to give a journalism award (yep, to a near-tabloid, chuckle). The BWE post's comedic writer basically claims he's traumatized for life by Hair Gate! Seriously amusing!

Hey, humans are human, no matter the job. So I fault none (not really) for publishing opinion and alerts on this beauty matter. But I also know even style & political icons are people as well. I actually am kind of frustrated with the ease in which we judge. That hair was cute!

Of course we still remember Barack's "Dad" Jeans ... quickly followed by Michelle's "Mom" Cut (and again, they're mature parents/professionals, not rockstars). Why so harsh on the first family when it comes to style? What - no scandals? I guess this is a blessing.

First, the Scaredy-Cat-Man. You know that kind of man who's tough, yet actually is afraid of women. Or perhaps in the case of G. Gordon Liddy, just so conservative and in "it" for his own party, he'll say anything to pursuade people. Perhaps - or maybe he believes his recent comment,

"Let’s hope that the key conferences aren’t when [Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's] menstruating or something, or just before she’s going to menstruate. That would really be bad. Lord knows what we would get then."

Le Sigh.

On to something 100% more refreshing. The true man's reply to such a bad man as was just quoted... my wonderful boyfriend's reply, to be exact,

"I swear there are people who have not outgrown the puritan age of thought."

It's nice to read a good guy's thoughts about this upsetting, not just controversial, topic. Most reactions we'd normally hear are from women, at least outside of professional broadcasting. Or maybe not, are the men in your world and circle speaking up about this too?

There are all kinds in this world. I do think men get moods just like some of them think we automatically get monthly. Ignorant, the bad ones are.

Story: The Washington Independent
Photo: The Boston Globe

... or also against conservatism. But any even near-feminist must see (love?) Tina Fey portray Sarah Palin, in those sexy librarian glasses (ok maybe men, too!).

And any near feminist is pro-choice, anyway, right?

If not for that, view it for a great parody of Hilary Clinton that is also leaning negative.

*I wanted to publish this video as soon as a quality one went on the Internet, but life popped up while waiting. Enjoy for the 2nd time, if not first!

Following conventions, Mercedes-Benz (or their marketing team, or they being a namesake [for IMG Fashion if you're counting], the real fashion team's marketing team) is campaigning this (New York Fashion) week to be election-themed. But will it be unconventional? Does the business of fashion want change and democracy? Are we to see indie designers given big shots, or fan submissions down the catwalks?

What the industry wants is not exactly inspired by Obama's hope for change. Their idea of changing is putting on decade old trends anew, buying enough purses to swap daily, etc. Recycling and upgrading isn't change, it's all more of the same.

[caption id="attachment_1031" align="aligncenter" width="440" caption="© 2008 IMG Fashion"][/caption]

The only thing I can say is this is a cute marketing play with colorful graphics.

There's rarely even innovation among the favored fashion, when even most glorified designers put out nothing much that's unique, freshly-flattering, or jaw-droppingly intricate. The IT bags today are mostly 2, 3, 4.0s of yesteryear.

Some of this is fine, and a lot of fashion is fun, but I do wonder, with slogans such as, "Hope. Change. Shoes." which party, aside from coke-floating after-parties, no which political party is the fashion industry a part of? Hint: it's a big business.

I suppose that's why it's all likely to be the same, because conservatism is that, and they do "proclaim" experience matters. New styles from fresh faces - why - those designers have no "foreign policy experience" (outsourcing to China for the cheaps), "no executive experience" (owning companies or just plain having wealth) - and in the economy we've been in -- fair-trade, handmade, eco-grade, or any other trademarks of the (aspiring) leaders of our (fashion) future -- can't be done.

Does this mean Obama would help aspiring designers and even those wanting to dress with individuality? Well, it should help us afford our groceries, at least, which can't hurt our business or shopping pursuits - except our chances at modeling - but supermodels are "huge" (tiny) members of the conservative big business of apparel, anyway - we don't want to be that.

So as the fashion new media, what should bloggers cover in the coming weeks of elegance-on-parade? Would you review in the same old voice as the others of past, or reach for significant inspiration? Perhaps since the powers-that-be decided to - almost naively - dress the event in flags vs. cashmere, in message buttons vs. billboards or leaderboards - in this time of progressive change --- should we show the same scrutiny as to presidential candidates? Even less strictly would be harsher than usual. I say so, because this is our business, our livelihoods, our class standing, our passion, and what we hope to be art - it's important to us and it impacts us, but also the rest of the economy - and is therefore important to our nation, world, and this actual historic election.

You know the problem well, you can't block it from your mind. The low-long-hemmed unbuttoned jacket swinging away from the widest point of ample thighs/hips... Hilary Clinton and her "pantsuits" (more on that ridiculousness later)...

But it never happened, she never got a lifelong-style makeover from the gurus at What Not to Wear. What a picture, the secret footage, exactly like what I described above, the Clinton puns (there must be puns, I say) and... the bra fitting.

And now it's over. Not only might Hilary's political career be over, but she now has no hope of dressing her womanly body as it should. First legitimate female candidate for president of the United States?? Come on, she's not that female. (Her lack of humanity she increasingly displayed not withstanding, itself.)

What NOT to Wear: Old-Lady Pants Suits

What TO Wear: A nice pin-striped menswear suit. Hem cut at the actual hips (think where a baby rests against a woman's side, on occasion).

;-)

Clinton - forget flag pins, try on the stripes!