Ladies in Red.

Posted By Cliff Tuttle | September 10, 2009

Posted by Cliff Tuttle (c) 2009

SUMMARY: Red is not a good color for professional attire for women.

If Secretary of State Hillary Clinton intended to be instantly recognized at the Presidential Address on Health Care, she achieved that goal. When television cameras panned the assembled senators, congress-people, cabinet members, Supreme Court justices and other dignitaries, there she was, first row, aisle seat, dressed in a bright red pantsuit. On the screen, it was like a beacon. To say that she stood out in a crowd would be an understatement.

There was another woman in red at the same assembly, the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. She was on the dais behind the President. However, you couldn’t tell whether the Speaker was wearing a pants suit or a dress. Somehow, a red dress is more conventional than a pantsuit of the same color. Nevertheless, someone needs to inform the Speaker that bright red on camera behind the President is a distraction, unless the red object happens to be a flag.

The Secretary’s red pantsuit, by any measure, was way over the top. A pantsuit, which Clinton made her trademark during the 2008 campaign, is supposed to give a professional woman a feminine version of the look of a well-tailored business suit. As such, the range of colors in which this look works best is very limited — black, dark blue, grey, charcoal, sometimes brown — thats about it.

Sorry, Madame Secretary.

CLT

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CLIFF TUTTLE has been a Pennsylvania lawyer for over 45 years and (inter alia) is a real estate litigator and legal writer. The posts in this blog are intended to provide general information about legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus. However, this information does not constitute legal advice and there is no lawyer-client relationship created when you read this blog. You are encouraged to leave comments but be aware that posted comments can be read by others. If you wish to contact me in privacy, please use the Contact Form located immediately below this message. I will reply promptly and in strict confidence.

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