Election Night Fashions from Michelle Obama, Cindy McCain, Sarah Palin and More

Hello-hello everyone! We hope everyone is enjoying the soft and sunny weather we are experiencing today!

As we are more than a little swamped here at Princess HQ, we will offer a short post looking at the Narciso Rodriguez dress worn by Michelle Obama Monday evening.

Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty

Clearly not a Mario Pinto creation, as discussed in last night’s post, this was shown as part of the Rodriguez Spring 2009 Collection.

PHOTO: George Chinsee

The selection of this particular dress and cardigan brought some negative fashion feedback, unusual in and of itself as Mrs. Obama has been credited throughout the campaign for her fashion-forward style.

The issue? This is not considered a “good TV dress.”

PHOTO: Joe Raedle/Getty

PHOTO: Joe Raedle/Getty

While TP is convinced this is a stunning dress in person, it was probably not Ms. Obama’s finest fashion moment.  The ombre dot motif is exquisite in design and tres figure-enhancing but it doesn’t stand up well on television and in photographs.  And yes, the broadcasting & print careers influence our thought process on this topic, no doubt about it.

However, we think the First-Lady-To-Be is entitled to wear whatever strikes her fancy, whatever makes her feel good.  And no one can say the family was not color-coordinated last evening.

PHOTO: Jim Young/Reuters

For those unfamiliar with Mr. Rodriguez, here is a look at one of his more memorable gowns, Carolyn Bissette Kennedy’s wedding dress.

++++++++++++++++

NOTE: The following portion of the blog is INCORRECT!

On the other side of the aisle, Cindy McCain chose to wear the Oscar de la Renta silk suit she wore for her appearance with First Lady Laura Bush at the Republican Convention.

PHOTO: Chris Carlson/AP

Here is the CORRECT info: Below, a photo of the dress worn by Cindy McCain at the convention on September 1st. (Okay Princess, dress vs. suit…. how difficult can this be?! Perhaps it is time for a little Prozac pick-me-up, hhhmm?)

PHOTO: Mike Segar/Reuters

Thank you to the wonderful MOMX2 for alerting us in her ever-so-kind manner that we had a boo-boo in today’s post. She is too sweet and if you haven’t been over for a visit, you must reward yourself and pop in to say ‘hello.’

Now we must start our hunt for the designer behind last night’s Cindy McCain fashion; we still think we have seen this particular suit before, which is the thought process that started us on this slippery slope in the first place. But before we can do that, we must toddle along to our Tiara repair expert. We need to bring down the size of our Tiara a tad, as our head has shrunk just a bit in the last few hours. Silly Princess.

(Editor’s Note: We are leaving in our mistake deliberately to avoid any confusion we would create by simply correcting this in the ‘comments’ section.)

Back to your regularly scheduled programing now:

++++++++++++++++

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was in an elegant deep navy cocktail suit.

PHOTO: Mike Blake/Reuters

We must include this photo of a rather woebegone Piper Palin last night, as she has definitely been one of those little delights that always brought a smile to our face during the long campaign…

PHOTO: Rick Wilking/Reuters

…as did Malia and Sasha Obama, no doubt thrilled to know they are getting the new puppy they were promised if their father was victorious in the election.

PHOTO: Jason Reed/Reuters

For those interested in a possible Inauguration Day look for Ms. Obama, last night’s late post touched upon that and also shared Oprah Winfrey’s plans for an Inauguration Day dress.

We close with a look at how the story was played elsewhere, starting with one of the President-elect’s hometown newspapers, the Chicago Sun-Times:

Chicago Sun-Times

WaPo as TP refers to it, the Washington Post:

The Washington Post

The Times:

The New York Times

And USA Today:

USA Today

Out the door and simply *racing* to another function!

Polo Ralph Lauren Offical Olympic Team Uniforms Sale & ‘It’s Just Not Done”

Thank. God. It’s. Friday. The Princess is clinging to a parapet here at the Palace, a tad frazzled from a whirlwind week consumed by too much travel and too little time with family. Sigh.

Perhaps news of a sale (imagine that, a sale on Labor Day weekend!) at Polo Ralph Lauren on their oh-so-popular Olympic Collection will prove to be a style-starter for you this holiday weekend. It appears all of the merchandise from both the Opening and Closing Ceremony Parade Uniform lines is marked down. This includes the Big and Tall sizes in Men’s, as well as the ‘Custom,’ polo shirts (which are not custom made, for heaven’s sake), cut closer to the body for a trimmer fit.

Styles like this Olympic Games Gold Medal Polo are available in Men’s, Women’s and Children’s sizing; below we show the Women’s version.

The men’s Custom Closing Ceremony Polo is now $99.99, originally selling for $125.

Should you be looking for a little treat for the Princess or young gentleman of the household, there is no shortage of Olympic apparel in those sizes from which to choose. The Girls Olympic Games Track Jacket might provide a delicious snuggle factor with the chill nights of Fall approaching; it is available in Sizes Small to Extra Large and comes in two colors.

It’s expected the markdowns, although at only about 20% they are not deep, will help move some of the merchandise. Naturally some of the line simply won’t sell and TP has her picks for those items most likely to hit the bargain bins at one’s local discounter of the TJ Maxx or Marshall’s variety.

For example, we don’t envision too many Moms successfully locating the Olympic Games Beret on the head of any young man in the Boys Size 2-7 and Boys 8-20 age groups. Actually, we don’t foresee any age group of either sex donning these of their own free will. The Princess was fond of the berets; they were a great look. However, the operative word in that sentence is “were” in our humble opinion.

Now a case could be made on behalf of the Olympic Games Sport Cap, a far more attractive proposition on a number of fronts if I am said Boy. (Or Girl, or anyone else.)

The style appeals to a much broader group and is much easier to wear. No peering about self-consciously and asking friends “Do I have this on right?” as many are wont to do when first wearing a Beret. Also, the price point is much more appealing for what most perceive as “dated” goods. Originally $20 for Boys 2-7 and 8-20, the Sport Cap is now $14.99; the Beret was $40, now $29.99, a substantial difference.

We do adore the sneakers (officially referred to as the Closing Ceremony USA Sneaker) on their own merits and hope to procure a pair for twinkletoes as soon as humanly possible. Below we show the Men’s sneaks.

At the very least, it never hurts to pop in and visit the folks at Polo Ralph Lauren for a few minutes; one never knows what may be discovered.

BTW, we had a request from the always-wonderful Momx2; she is seeking information on the dress Chelsea Clinton wore for her appearance at the Democratic convention Wednesday night.

AP Photo/Ron Edmonds

Unfortunately dear Mom, we are of no assistance whatsoever: we couldn’t locate anything! We did find out that Michelle Obama’s dress was by Thakoon Panichgul, and is part of the designer’s pre-spring 2009 collection, so obviously it isn’t available for purchase.

Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images

Photo: Mike Segar/Reuters

If Thakoon’s name sounds familiar, it might be because he is one of the designers Target has doing a collection for them for its Go International initiative, similar to Cynthia Rowley’s earlier this spring or Rogan Gregory’s. The Thakoon line is due in Target stores in December. Momx2, we’ll keep trying on the Chelsea dress, which we also liked.

BTW, not that it’s TP’s decision to make, but for a campaign that has been somewhat ahead of the curve in its exploitation of technology, they need to grab the reins and create a Michelle Obama website. One all about Ms. Obama. Or separate and specific pages on the Obama site, not simply something one scrolls down to as part of the family page.

Now everybody knows it’s tennis time with the US Open continuing this weekend in Queens. What people may not be as familiar with are some of the following photos from the tourney, preceded by an installment of “It’s Just Not Done” which you may have already viewed on TV or in your local paper. It’s that notable in its poor sportsmanship.

Photo: Reuters/Eduardo Munoz

This is what was left of Eduardo Schwank’s tennis racket yesterday after his match with Dmitry Tursunov of Russia. TP understands (oh, how we understand!) personal frustration on the court, the green, the slope, wherever. But. There are standards of conduct. One does not resort to infantile displays of temper regardless of the arena. It’s just not done.

Photo: Reuters/Eduardo Munoz

Now, that is reaching to return a shot! Jelena Jankovic of Serbia makes *every* effort in her match today against Zheng Jie of China. She may have been blinded by the red Adidas tennis shoes sported by Ms. Jie, seen below.

Photo: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Jeff Zelevansky/Reuters

US Olympic gold medal swimmer Aaron Peirsol dropped by yesterday, and did not look like a fish out of water, not at all.

On that note, we’re off for the weekend, but may be able to pop in briefly via modern technology. We hope so!