THE success of Kate Moss's Topshop collection proved that there are lots of women who like the idea of looking and dressing like their fashion heroines. But where do you draw the line between wanting to take inspiration from a famous style icon and slavishly copying their look?
According to many American commentators, Michelle Obama, wife of US presidential hopeful Senator Barack Obama, has more than crossed that line on many occasions. When she appears in public, you half expect her to say: "Tonight, Matthew, I'm going to
be Jackie Kennedy".
Not only has Michelle teased her hair into a smooth, jaw-length bouffant, but her chic little suits, Peter Pan collars and sleeveless shift dresses worn with three-tiered strings of pearls are all incredibly evocative of the Kennedy era. Several of her outfits are almost stitch-for-stitch replicas of memorable items from Jackie's wardrobe – including a pink wool suit which, quite frankly, would give anyone who has seen film of Jackie wearing her Chanel version on 22 November, 1963 in Dallas the shivers.
There's little doubt that Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis was one of the most chic and beautiful women in the world, and I can totally understand that in emulating such tried and tested elegance Michelle Obama might be reasoning that she can't put a foot wrong – but on this occasion, I think she might have miscalculated.
It's fair enough to copy a celebrity's style when you're an ordinary woman, but it's dangerous to do so when you're a celebrity yourself. Michelle Obama is clever and accomplished, so she must realise she's not necessarily doing herself any favours by appearing to be a Jackie clone, but she still keeps on doing it, which means she must welcome the comparisons.
Barack Obama's personal style has been compared to JFK's, and the similarities between the two young, handsome Democratic hopefuls and their trophy wives are striking, but does Michelle really want to identify herself so completely with Mrs John Kennedy?
It's not as though she has a big style fight on her hands. The only other women featuring in the presidential race are the Republican First-Lady-wannabe Cindy McCain, an ice-blonde Stepford Wife with minimal magnetism, and Hillary Clinton, the other Democratic contender, who has had 20 years in the public eye to come up with a decent look and yet is still channelling an office manager.
At 44, Michelle is much younger than both Hillary and Cindy, yet she hasn't even tried to play the youth card, preferring to follow a dress code that was laid down when she was in nappies. Sure, she dresses well, but she dresses far too safely. It's a cop-out which only makes me feel even more keenly that she's missing the most amazing opportunity to dazzle the world.
I realise it's difficult to find a new, individual style which will appeal to both Louisiana teens and New Hampshire matrons, so surely if there was ever a time to call in a professional stylist, this is it?
As a fashion icon, Jackie Kennedy has timeless appeal, which is why her look still works, but nevertheless, we've been there, done that and got the bouclé jacket. It's all very well to be the New Jackie, but how much better would it be to be the Only Michelle?
The Obamas are trailblazers; both are youthful, glamorous and charismatic, and Michelle is never shy about showing her radical credentials, so it seems strange for someone so feisty and fearlessly controversial to stick so rigidly to a style that's older than she is. We know from her speeches that she's her own woman, so this dichotomy is making me wonder, who is the real Michelle Obama?
But given how intelligent and politically astute she is, perhaps I'm simply not giving her credit for understanding something which is a fundamental part of the political game. She's being who she thinks – rightly or wrongly – people want her to be. I may be asking: "Who are you?" but Michelle may be of the opinion that the key to being successful in politics is not to let anyone know that until you're safely in the White House.
I just hope, for everyone's sake – but especially for the Obamas – that if they win through, the parallels with the Kennedys go no further than a sophisticated wardrobe and a penchant for cultured pearls.
The full article contains 743 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
