Ann Romney slammed for $990 Shirt, Michelle Obama praised for $6,800 jacket

[X Factor 1,111]

Ann Romney slammed for $990 Shirt, Michelle Obama praised for $6,800 jacket

Back in May, Ann Romney, wife of Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, wore a $990 Reed Krakoff silk shirt for a media appearance. The item of clothing set off a media firestorm, with the Romneys widely accused of being “out of touch” with average Americans.

In particular, the Washington Post wrote that the $990 blouse “will not help her husband change those perceptions, no matter how many Laundromat photo ops are on the campaign’s itinerary.”

Fast forward to last Friday, when First Lady Michelle Obama attended an Olympics reception for heads of state at Buckingham Palace, donning a J. Mendel cap sleeve jacket from the 2013 Resort collection.

The price-tag? $6,800.

This time, the Washington Post simply described the intricacies of the jacket and noted that Mrs. Obama has previously been criticized for “not dressing up enough for Queen Elizabeth II, so she stepped up her game.” No snide remarks, no outrage over the cost, no suggestion she was “out of touch.”

“The media’s overabundant love affair with the Obamas has become increasingly blatant as this election draws nearer. Scrutinizing Mrs. Romney for a fashion choice that cost considerably less than that of the First Lady is yet another example of the media being purely sanctimonious,” former political publicist Angie Meyer told FoxNews.com. “The media continues to relish their roles as liberal bullies, and have relentlessly bullied the Romneys from the beginning. It is pure hypocrisy at its finest.”

Glenn Selig of The Publicity Agency concurred.

“The media will not stay quiet on the issue because wealth remains a big issue with the Romneys. It is not his fault that he's wealthy, but the media is portraying it as a liability,” Selig said.

Dan Gainor, VP of Business and Culture for Media Research Center in Washington DC, said it’s “just the latest example of a consistent media theme that somehow Romney is too wealthy and out of touch because he's a millionaire. Except of course that Obama is also a millionaire. “

Some also highlighted the apparent hypocrisy on Twitter. “And you thought the Romneys were out of touch?” tweeted one, while another wondered who had to pay for the almost $7,000 dress, and another balked that the “jacket would put a lot of food on the table of one of the 25M unemployed people in USA.”

Not everyone’s nose was out of joint, however. Media commentator Jenn Hoffman told FoxNews.com that “Americans need to face the fact that with our current system, politicians need to have money. That is how they get into the office in the first place. If you are near the White House, you have access to serious cash and much of that cash is spent on honing your image.”

Mark Joseph, producer of “Wild Card: The Promise & Peril of Sarah Palin,” added that “Mrs. Romney's wardrobe expenses are certainly fair game, but so are Mrs. Obama's, and political reporters have got to do a better job of being even-handed."

My link

Edited August 1, 2012 by kennard

[Penny Lane 8,159]

Ann Romney's shirt is offensive .. not because of the money spent on it, but it's freaking hideous.

Do Presidents/First Ladies actually BUY their wardrobes when it comes to functions like the one Michelle was at? I know most "celebrities" have stylists who rent the clothing for them to wear to events. Honestly curious, I haven't a clue how it works.

[Teddy B 17,251]

Ann Romney's shirt is offensive .. not because of the money spent on it, but it's freaking hideous.

Do Presidents/First Ladies actually BUY their wardrobes when it comes to functions like the one Michelle was at? I know most "celebrities" have stylists who rent the clothing for them to wear to events. Honestly curious, I haven't a clue how it works.

Let's face it, they are ALL out of touch with the working class! They have more money than any of us will ever see, there is no way they could relate to living paycheck to paycheck. Why the media tries to play this up is beyond me. Do they really think that someone is going to change their vote for Romney or Obama based on what their wives wear?

Edited August 1, 2012 by Teddy B

[Penny Lane 8,159]

Never wear shirts with an animal picture on it. It's a bad idea 100% of the time.

How'd I know that source link would lead to Fox News?

Edited August 1, 2012 by Evylin

[X Factor 1,111]

Ann Romney's shirt is offensive .. not because of the money spent on it, but it's freaking hideous.

Do Presidents/First Ladies actually BUY their wardrobes when it comes to functions like the one Michelle was at? I know most "celebrities" have stylists who rent the clothing for them to wear to events. Honestly curious, I haven't a clue how it works.

Found an article that says "Meredith Koop really IS Michelle Obama's stylist: Aide 'advises on First Lady's wardrobe and makes purchases on her behalf'"

My link

[Penny Lane 8,159]

Found an article that says "Meredith Koop really IS Michelle Obama's stylist: Aide 'advises on First Lady's wardrobe and makes purchases on her behalf'"

My link

Look, I can find random links to back up my point, too.

http://globalgrind.com/style/michelle-obama-wearing-6800-jacket-london-olympics-blog

Lastly, let's be honest, Michelle Obama probably did not pay for that jacket. The good folks at J. Mendel probably sent over the jacket and five other just like it for the First Lady to pick from. Like any other celebrity, the jacket probably got gifted or loaned to Michelle specifically for the reception. In the off chance that she did pay for it, chances are she got a nice discount in exchange for the inevitable publicity that Mrs. Obama would get while wearing it.

The funny thing is, when I googled the question about whether or not she buys her own dresses, I got plenty of links that gave her hell for it, if she did.

So much for the media ignoring it, I guess.

Edited August 1, 2012 by Evylin

[rocks 494]

How did Ann Romney pay $900 for a Guy Harvey shirt? They sell those at Walmart for less than $20.

Maybe she should sell one of her hundred cars and invest in a stylist.

[SMR 368]

The only problem I have with the amount of money that was spent on these outfits is that they both paid way too much to look poorly dressed. These are two good looking women, but neither of these outfits is very flattering. Ann Romney's shirt looks cartoonish and the coloring is terrible. Michelle Obama's jacket (is that really a "jacket") accentuates her pear shaped figure while making her arms look unnaturally long.

[Danno 1,228]

To question the cost of Michelle's wardrobe is really just inner racist trying to tell the first black First Lady not to get too uppity.

At least thats what we were told when we noted the audacity of her wearing $600.00 sneakers to feed the poor (Ugly ones at that).

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/29/michelle-obama-wears-silv_n_193138.html

[Penny Lane 8,159]

To question the cost of Michelle's wardrobe is really just inner racist trying to tell the first black First Lady not to get too uppity.

You know, I never see anyone mention race until someone makes a stupid comment like this.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

Never wear shirts with an animal picture on it. It's a bad idea 100% of the time.

How'd I know that source link would lead to Fox News?

My guess was because it was not slanted and true ?

[Penny Lane 8,159]

My guess was because it was not slanted and true ?

That must have been it.

[JohnR! 5,495]

1343848840[/url]' post='5575285']

My guess was because it was not slanted and true ?

Absolutely. After years trying to pass for a real news organization, it seems Fox has now shifted to fashion critique, which is more in tune with their ability.

I hope they hire Joan Rivers. She is good at this fashion thing and Fox could use her!

[Danno 1,228]

You know, I never see anyone mention race until someone makes a stupid comment like this.

Ahh you must be wet behind the ears.

[Penny Lane 8,159]

Ahh you must be wet behind the ears.

Or I must associate with people who aren't asshats.