Pauletta Brooks Wearable Art: Exercise Your Right ... To Accessorize!

With all the hullabaloo that Superstorm Sandy has caused in my area, it’s easy to forget that Election Day has been fast approaching and is now upon us. Obama and Romney are focused on the economy, foreign relations, and education, but for the fashion-conscious, all eyes are focused on First Lady Michelle Obama and Ann Romney’s clothing selections. The effort that goes into a spouse’s campaign wardrobe can come under fire if it is too flashy or expensive, an especially sensitive subject as the nation is recovering from the most recent recession.

Our most recent memories might be of Hillary Clinton’s never-ending collection of pantsuits, or the reported $150,000 that Sarah Palin spent on her wardrobe during her run on the McCain ticket in 2008. But luckily, this election cycle has brought on some more fashionable tastes. On October 22, at the third and final presidential debate in Boca Raton, FL, FLOTUS hit the right note with a “recycled” (read: previously worn) Thom Browne gray and black-lace dress. And is that a brooch placed perfectly at her collarbone??

(Source: Pool/Getty Images North America, stylebistro.com)

The ornamental brooch is making a comeback, adding a stylish touch to a dress or a coat. But this isn’t the first time the brooch has entered the political arena. Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright was famous for her costume jewelry brooches, which were later featured in a book, Read My Pins, and in a display collection at the Smithsonian Museum in 2010.

(Source: trumanscholars.org)

A particularly American pin. Wouldn't that look nice on a ladylike lapel? (Source: oomphonline.com, Lekakos Jewelry)

Here is Varina Howell Davis (1826-1906), the wife of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. The well-raised socialite certainly knew how to accessorize, even in wartime.

(Source: robinettfamily.org)

‘Tis the season to let your voice be heard, so head to the polls tomorrow! And don’t forget to do it in style: samples of my brooch collection are shown below. What better way to show your patriotism than with American-made accessories?