Michelle Obama
Forget all the policies and the talk of change, what we've really been glued to for the past eighteen months is the fashion, from both sides of the camp.
The Obama's vs McCain's, with Sarah Palin and Hilary Clinton thrown in for good measure, have received a fair amount of press coverage for the outfit choices for specific events.
This being an all-male race, you would have thought that fashion didn't matter to these serious politicians. Oh how wrong we were, everything that they wore was dissected and analysed, and not only that but their spouses, colleagues and children were looked at too. As well as being eloquent and confident about your position and policy, America now demands that you look the part as well.
This has never been more evident in this race for the White House, with it being the most expensive presidential campaign to date. We've got to assume that a large chunk of that was spent on $150,000 overhaul of Sarah Palin's wardrobe to take her Alaska look uptown. Even then she looked rigidly stiff and unfashionable in her skirt suits, while Michelle Obama tended to ooze sophistication and class at any event she accompanied her husband to.
She was even favourably compared to Jacqueline Kennedy by the media, the night that Obama had clinched the Democratic nomination for president. We're sure this is just the start of her fashion campaign to become the ultimate First Lady of style.
But she'll have to be prepared to suffer a few fashion knock backs, if the mauling she's received for her dress choice on Wednesday night is anything to go by. The red Narciso Rodriguez dress has received mixed reaction from the world's fashion critics but we think she looks as stunning as ever, and it was Barack's night after all.
Fashion plays a huge part in assessing someone, because ultimately the clothes are the first thing you see on a person. Hilary Clinton knows the power of a good wardrobe, and before she was beaten by Obama for the Democratic nomination, she had every outfit nailed with pure class. There was such a buzz the night she conceded to Obama, namely people speculating what will she wear and ultimately what will it mean?
Cindy McCain also created a similar buzz the night she stepped out in a $300,000 metallic-yellow ensemble, for the Republican National Convention's opening night. Love it or loathe it, the woman made an entrance and people were guaranteed to know who she was and why she was there.
But it's not just the women who had to make a lasting fashion impression, the men who were actually running the race had to dress to impress too.
Obama has been seen as something of a style icon throughout the campaign, while McCain has looked ageing and unfashionable. The McCain camp even had to spend a whopping $52,000 on make-up during the campaign to make McCain and Sarah Palin look good! No seriously...
What's been really interesting about this election however, is the amount of fashionistas that have been involved. American Vogue's Fashion Editor, the legendary Anna Wintour has been a vocal support to the Obama camp from the start, hosting several fundraisers for his campaign.
And when you've got her support, then the rest is pretty straightforward, after all when she says something is 'in' then the rest of the fashion world follow suit.
Tagged in Barack Obama