Hillary Clinton is making progress with her fashion choices, but her fancy new look has sparked criticism of the expense.
The Giorgio Armani designer jacket Hillary wore during her New York primary victory speech, which referenced income inequality, cost $12,495.
Leah Bourne for the New York Post writes that “the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, whose dowdy and matronly style has haunted her throughout her entire political career, is making her first real effort to play the fashion card.”
But Hillary is also being haunted by voters who are quick to take note. Bernie Sanders and his supporters have been quick to criticize Hillary for her speech earnings and connections to Wall Street.
The jacket’s price tag is being attacked on Twitter along with more of “Hillary’s Greatest Hits.” Some thought she still didn’t look good, despite the cost.
#HillaryClinton wore a $12,495 Armani jacket during a speech about inequality https://t.co/AhLqvmLFxc pic.twitter.com/lJ7UDnRcZ1
— TriggaNometry (@grindingdude) June 7, 2016
You would think someone would say: “Hey, Hillary, maybe don’t give this speech on inequality wearing a $12k jacket” https://t.co/pTGFlW6BdD
— Sarah Westwood (@sarahcwestwood) June 6, 2016
Hillary gave the speech in a $12,495 Giorgio Armani tweed jacket, uhmm..yeah she knows all about being poor, right? https://t.co/VEc9acSi0r
— MedicalQuack (@MedicalQuack) June 6, 2016
@Reddword @sarahcwestwood How can one spend this much and still look like she shopped at Dress Barn?
— Amoeba☆BernieOrBust (@__Reenie__) June 7, 2016
It’s also hard to forget that Hillary said she and Bill left the White House “dead broke” in 2001. Politifact rated the claim “mostly false.”
The New York Times reported in May 2015 that the “Clintons Earned $30 Million in 16 Months, Report Shows.” Maggie Haberman and Steve Eder wrote that her high speech earnings “could create challenges for the former secretary of state as she tries to cast herself as a champion of everyday Americans in an era of income inequality.”
In October, Dan Alexander for Forbes explained “How The Clintons Have Made $230 Million Since Leaving The White House.”
Hillary likely spends at least $200,000 for her new outfits. “There’s a good chance that cash is coming out of her own pocket,” Bourne writes. No designers are actively promoting Hillary wearing their labels, making it unlikely that she’s wearing them for free.
“It’s a tough spot to be in,” Bourne writes, who says that her “new look comes with a hefty price tag” and that there are those “who will see her spending as being out of touch with her message.”
Bourne also mentions Sarah Palin’s wardrobe help from the RNC and Donald Trump’s suits. Palin and Trump were not running a primary campaign against Bernie Sanders, however, who has sought to pull her and the Democratic Party to the left.
If Hillary wants to win Sanders’ supporters, likely an uphill battle, she should find a way to be fashionable without the high costs on her chances at the presidency.
