Mr. de la Renta: What were you thinking with Hillary’s inauguration gown?

On November 6th, when Hillary Clinton attended the 17th Annual Salute to Freedom Gala, she wore a dark blue dress with a wrap-top, shirred sleeves and waist and a full skirt and looked gorgeous. On November 10th, when she attended Glamour‘s Woman of the Year awards to accept her own, she wore a chocolate brown matte satin dress with a wrap top, a collar, and a full skirt…and looked completely fabulous. So, we were eagerly awaiting her dress last night — especially after the description provided by Oscar de la Renta last week.

Unfortunately, we were sorely disappointed. Rather than being the saturated pink color with charcoal accents of our imagination, de la Renta apparently attired Hillary Clinton in a pale pink dress that, were it shorter, would be suitable for the mother of the bride at any given wedding. While a boatneck could be good on Hillary in theory, this one isn’t because, when paired with the wide, sparkly waistband that is just above her natural waist, it shortens her torso significantly. The three-quarter length sleeves, while weather-appropriate, do nothing to counteract that effect (though, thankfully, she carried rather than wore those mincing little white gloves). Oh, and then there’s the sheer amount of silver embroidery and beading, paired with that full skirt (apparently) done in grey. While probably more “designer” than the previous two dresses, it’s by no means more flattering or more attractive than her earlier choices (and, doubtless, there are few people around like me that would remember her wearing either one before).

Mr. de la Renta, we are sorely disappointed. Surely you know that Hillary looks better in saturated colors — she does, that’s for sure — so why would you talk her into this dress?

Photo via St. Louis Dispatch