希拉里穿拉夫勞倫 昏招還是妙招

At her campaign opening rally on Roosevelt Island on Saturday (to be distinguished from her campaign announcement, in April), Hillary Rodham Clinton donned her now-signature look: a bright blue pantsuit with a matching bright blue shirt underneath. She stuck out a mile, matched her H campaign logo — which was also the design of her stage — and looked appropriately patriotic, especially when standing next to Bill Clinton in his red polo.

上週六，希拉里·羅德姆·克林頓(Hillary Rodham Clinton)在羅斯福島(Roosevelt Island)舉行了首場競選集會（這與她4月份的競選聲明有所區別）。集會上，希拉里展示了當前的標誌性形象：寶藍色褲套裝，內襯配同色襯衫。她非常醒目，和H形的競選標識相稱——集會演講臺也被設計成這個形狀。希拉里體現了恰如其分的愛國感，尤其是當她站在身穿紅色Polo衫的比爾·克林頓(Bill Clinton)旁邊時。

So far, so expected, especially given her debut Instagram post: a series of red, white or blue pantsuits hanging in a row with the caption “Hard choices.”

到目前爲止，她的造型都在意料之中，尤其是想到她Instagram上的第一張照片：一排掛起來的紅、白、藍色的褲套裝，圖說是“困難的選擇”。

Mrs. Clinton has been extremely clever at co-opting the whole fashion-in-politics thing, defanging it and using it to demonstrate her quite developed sense of humor. It’s a tool for her these days, and not just when it comes to image.

克林頓夫人一直以來都非常善於將“時尚政治”爲自己所用，趨利避害，用以展示自己相當嫺熟的幽默感。服裝現在已經變成了她的一個手段，而且不只在形象方面。

Which is why it is worth thinking about. She is clearly considering it, as are her advisers, and using it to manipulate perception. As are all her competitors. Clothes are a political tool like any other. And that is why it was interesting to learn that the pantsuit she wore at her Roosevelt Island rally had been made by Ralph Lauren.

這正是值得思考的地方。她和顧問們顯然都對服裝進行了很多思量，用它來操控人們的看法。她的競爭對手們也都是這樣。服裝和其他元素一樣，是一種政治手段。所以，這就是爲什麼知曉她在羅斯福島集會上穿的是拉夫·勞倫(Ralph Lauren)褲套裝會很有意思。

On the one hand, this is a clever choice: Mrs. Clinton’s de facto dresser for the last few years had been Oscar de la Renta, and his death in October left her without a go-to label. She has known Mr. Lauren for a while: She presented him with the James Smithson Bicentennial Medal last June for his $13 million donation to help restore the Betsy Ross flag, and wore another blue Ralph Lauren pantsuit to do so.

一方面，這是個聰明的選擇：過去幾年，克林頓夫人的設計師其實是奧斯卡·德拉倫塔(Oscar de la Renta)。去年10月，德拉倫塔去世，致使克林頓夫人失去了慣用的品牌。她認識勞倫有一段時間了：去年6月，她給勞倫頒發詹姆斯·史密森兩百年紀念獎章(James Smithson Bicentennial Medal)，表彰他捐款1300萬美元幫助修復貝齊·羅斯旗(Betsy Ross flag)，當時她穿的是拉夫·勞倫的另一套藍色褲套裝。

And his personal narrative — Bronx boy made good — pretty much embodies the American dream. The clothes he sells are, in part, based on the aesthetics of that dream: the West, and the Gatsby version of Long Island. He understands sartorial stagecraft as well as any designer on the New York Fashion Week calendar, if not better.

拉夫·勞倫的個人故事——布朗克斯(Bronx)出生的男孩通過努力獲得成功——是美國夢的典型代表。他的服裝部分基於美國夢的審美：美國西部以及蓋茨比(Gatsby)版長島的風格。他熟悉裁剪技術以及紐約時裝週上的每一位設計師（對後者可能更爲熟悉）。

Yet there’s a possible weak spot in the relationship. Because for a candidate who has been pushing her connection to, and understanding of, the middle class — and whose speech while wearing the pantsuit was largely about closing the income gap — Ralph Lauren is a relatively inaccessible brand. It is also one often worn by and beloved of that sector of the population, the chief executives and financial wizards, she somewhat disavowed.

不過，希拉里和拉夫·勞倫的合作可能有個弱點。作爲候選人，希拉里努力展現自己與中產階級的聯繫以及對他們的理解，她身穿這身褲套裝所進行的演講也主要是關於縮小收入差距，但是拉夫·勞倫是一個相對昂貴的品牌。穿着、喜愛拉夫·勞倫的往往是首要高管和金融奇才這類人，對這部分人她多少有點否定。

An average Ralph Lauren Women’s Collection pantsuit, which this was — not, in other words, a style from the more accessible line, Lauren Ralph Lauren — is a few thousand dollars (a pinstriped wool jacket alone, for example, is $2,450 at the online store). That is out of reach for most voters.

希拉里所穿的褲套裝屬於拉夫·勞倫女裝精選系列(Ralph Lauren Women’s Collection)，而非價格相對便宜的勞倫拉夫勞倫系列(Lauren Ralph Lauren)。精選系列的女裝均價幾千美元。比如一件細條紋羊毛外衣，在網店上的售價2450美元，大部分選民買不起。

It might not matter, given that voters also want their candidates to look presidential, which generally means good. Except that one of the story lines surrounding Mrs. Clinton has been how she is out-of-touch with those she claims to represent. It seems to me that working with a famous and high-end designer could provide ammunition for the opposition. And why even take that chance?

或許這也無傷大雅，選民也希望自己支持的候選人看起來有點總統氣質，總的來說就是穿好點。不過，人們圍繞克林頓夫人展開的衆多故事中，有這樣一種看法：她和自己聲稱所代表的人羣缺乏聯繫。在我看來，和一個著名高檔設計師合作，可能會給對手留下把柄。爲什麼要冒這個險呢？

But maybe the fashion issue, with its potential sexism charges, is just too touchy for anyone, except fashion people like me, to go there.

不過，也許服裝問題及其潛在的性別歧視，對大部分人來說太過敏感，不敢提及，除了我這樣的時尚界人士。

Personally, if I were working out sartorial strategy on her team, I might suggest the issue be avoided entirely by opting for a contemporary label like Theory, which is known for its pantsuits, professional dressing — and anonymity. Its chief executive, Andrew Rosen, is a fashion mogul who has made something of a personal mission out of saving the New York garment district.

我個人的想法是，如果我在她的競選團隊裏制訂服裝策略，我可能會建議通過希爾瑞(Theory)這樣的當代品牌來徹底避免授人話柄。希爾瑞以褲套裝、職業裝和大衆化聞名。該品牌的首席執行官安德魯·羅森(Andrew Rosen)是一位時尚大亨，從拯救紐約時裝區開始，成就了一番事業。

But that’s me. And to be honest, I would not be surprised if, in the end, Ralph Lauren does become a Clinton wardrobe mainstay. If the campaign can avoid elitism charges, the brand will make her look confident, and absolutely convincing on the global stage.

不過，那只是我個人的看法。坦白地說，如果拉夫·勞倫最終成爲克林頓衣櫥中的主要品牌，我不會感到意外。如果競選能迴避人們對希拉里的精英主義的指責，這個品牌將讓她看起來很自信，在國際舞臺上絕對具有說服力。

According to a spokesman, the designer already works with the candidate “regularly.”

據一位發言人說，拉夫·勞倫已經“經常”和希拉里合作了 。