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The Biggest Fashion Wins and Fails of Our Presidential Candidates

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FSU chapter.

The content within this article comes from an opinionated standpoint and does not reflect the views of Her Campus. 

How our future presidents represent themselves today means a lot towards how we feel about them and their overall credibility as professionals. Luckily, these people have been followed around by cameras for decades, which has allowed us to creep on the beautiful and the… harder to look at outfits chosen by our country’s potential big-decision-makers. Many questionable fashion choices occurred long before they decided to begin their campaigns (and be more careful about what they choose to wear). Due to the fact that these folks have bigger issues pressing in their lives, we can let these blunders slide – but not before admiring the highs and lows in political fashion throughout the years.

1. Hillary Clinton

Courtesy: AM New York

 

While Hillary is known today as the “Queen of Pant Suits in Every Shade Known on Earth,” she hasn’t always stuck to such a particular style. This stunner (pictured above) is from the inaugural dinner of her husband (Former President Bill Clinton) in 1993. This dress is truly a piece we could see being worn to this year‘s red carpet; its bold sapphire color, sheer sleeves and double draping skirt with different textures makes for a timeless, eye-popping piece that wowed the crowd that year (and continues to do so today). Although her clothes aren’t what’s most important about that night, or her campaign today, it’s nice to see such beautiful clothing on such a strong woman in politics.

2. Bernie Sanders

Courtesy: Politico Magazine

 

Being a classic crowd favorite of Collegiettes everywhere, we couldn’t leave Bernie out. Mr. Sanders has never been known for his high-fashion appearance. This outfit is a reminder of just how little he truly cared about things like physical appearance and materialism. This is pretty much how Bernie dressed before he got big into politics, and it’s for good reason; he’s helping pick up garbage in a park in Burlington, Vermont during his campaign for mayor back in 1981. Though this does seem to be a comfy outfit for a cold day of hard work, it just can’t be done alongside his messy head of hair (which he is still well-known for sporting today), which may get him mistaken for an actual troll. We’ll let this one slide, but please Bernie, the nasty sweatshirt and muddy jeans? You’re better than that.

3. Donald Trump

Courtesy: Progressive Eruptions

 

While not often seen out of a suit and tie (so as to not break the illusion of being a rich and successful lady-killer), sometimes Mr. “You’re Fired” finds himself wanting to wear something more comfortable, like this polo and khaki combo he has on for a round of golf. He’s also sporting what we like to call a “Chub n’ Tuck,” where his gut is stuffed into the polo shirt (which is pulled uncomfortably tight into his pants), resembling an over-stuffed, alarmingly orange sausage. This is seen amongst almost any grandpa you may know; Trump is no exception to this god-awful look. We don’t appreciate the slightly different shades of white/light khaki that Mr. Trump has put together, either. We would just prefer that he goes back to those pompous, nearly $10,000 suits, if they’re our only other option.

Emma is a second year Editing, Writing, and Media major at Florida State University from Tampa, Florida. In her spare time, she likes to volunteer with animals, cook, and sleep.
Her Campus at Florida State University.