Sarah Palin's Stylist Reveals Truth Behind $150,000 Clothing Controversy
Posted on Nov 19, 2009 @ 12:04PM
After a year of silence, Sarah Palin’s stylist during last fall’s presidential race has opened up about the controversy over the $150,000 the Republican campaign reportedly spent on outfitting the vice presidential nominee and her family.
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“I feel like there’s a misperception,” said Lisa A. Kline, a 47-year old mother of three (not to be confused with the Los Angeles retailer). “I want people to see that I did the best job I could under crazy circumstances.”
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Kline was called in at the last minute to dress Palin for her big television debut at the Republican National Convention in September. The money Kline spent on the new threads -- which included a $75,062 trip to high-end retailer Neiman Marcus -- was dubbed “Wardrobegate” and is largely credited for undermining the then Alaskan governor’s homespun image and the credibility of the overall campaign.
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During her interview with the NY Times, she cleared up a few points. Shortly before Labor Day weekend, she got the call about dressing the family for the convention which forced her to eschew her normal budget-conscious practices to get the job done.
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“There wasn’t a person around,” she said about scrambling during a holiday weekend. She could not rely on her normal rolodex of designers who give her discounted fare. “The only avenue was retail, straight retail.”
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The Neiman Marcus trip was also a necessity. After arriving to meet Palin, Kline was told she had less than a day to pull together outfits for the entire family as well.
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“The campaign advisers realized the kids, everybody, needed to be dressed,” Kline explained. “This was a family that was about to stand before the world, and they just came with their everyday-life clothes.”
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While she gave Palin a look book for the rest of the campaign to give her an idea of how to put the outfits together, Kline noted that the nominee stopped wearing the clothes when the money figures hit the media.
Still, the stylist is happy with the fruit of her labor.
“I felt I had achieved my goal. I thought she looked great. I really did.”
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Aug 06, 2011 @ 10:13
You do not have to agree with Palin's politics but the way the news media has treated Sarah and her family is sexist. Women's groups do not stand up for her because she is conservative. Middle America is tired of this bashing.
Posted Fri, 11/20/2009 - 12:59am
McCain's campaign had NO SPARK. Sarah Palin was the only fire in that camp.McCain's advisors were ALWAYS unorganized; They screwed up the wardrobe mess & let Palin take the fall for it.
Posted Fri, 11/20/2009 - 12:51am
Ok, I can see getting them some new clothes, but $75,000 worth. I have always wondered though, if this had never come out, would Palin have given all of those clothes back, or made Piper give back her $3,000 Gucci purse.
Posted Thu, 11/19/2009 - 9:27pm
Are you telling me the Governor of Alaska did not have any good clothes to wear?? Ridiculous and her kids wouldn't they have dress clothes?? This makes no sense!!!
Posted Thu, 11/19/2009 - 8:20pm
Sarah Palin said she felt her and her family's clothes were fine. Cindy McCain demanded the designer clothes for Palin's family and had the campaign dress the Palin family to Cindy's liking. When the news hit, they let Sarah take the blame.
Posted Fri, 11/20/2009 - 12:54am
There is no denying that Sarah and her family enjoyed being seen in their new clothes around the country very much. I've forgotten how much the hair/make-up tally was.
Posted Thu, 11/19/2009 - 5:42pm
She would look great...on an ice float in the ocean never to be seen again. What a LOSER! If that's all the party has to offer they will lose again.
Posted Thu, 11/19/2009 - 3:46pm
Levi is trying to model himself after Jon Gosselin as he admires him as a father as a man. WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU? Levi and the media is destroying her & maybe she isn't perfect but she doesn't deserve this.
Posted Thu, 11/19/2009 - 2:34pm
It's just like the story of the sheep herd where one does something and everybody follows even if off a cliff. The media and the other political party started a smear campaign and many in the public believed it all and went after her
Posted Thu, 11/19/2009 - 2:36pm
You know I know that this woman isn't perfect but she is being destroyed by the media and has been from day one. Levi is a punk and I am pretty sure from his body language that his creep lies about anything and everything.
Posted Thu, 11/19/2009 - 2:33pm