Haute Couture // Current

Palin pledges to shop at Wal-Mart

Vice-presidential hopeful Sarah Palin announced today she will forgo the expensive outfits purchased by the Republican Party for her campaign appearances, and from now on will appear on the stump wearing her own Alaska-bought clothes.

Governor Palin stressed to throngs of supporters at a campaign stop in Tampa, Florida that she was wearing her own jacket, pointing to her blazer, and said she would eschew clothing that wasn't hers, following a campaign kerfuffle over high-priced garb purchased by the campaign for her public outings.

"Those clothes are not my property, just like the lighting and the staging and everything else the RNC (Republican National Committee) purchased," said Gov Palin.

"I'm not taking them with me. I'm back to wearing my own clothes from my favourite consignment shop in Anchorage, Alaska," she said, adding that she initially had hoped to "ignore this wardrobe thing", but instead has decided to address it head on.

The Politico website reported last week that the Republican leadership spent $US150,000 ($222,816) on chic designer outfits for Gov Palin, from such top-end retailers as Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, plus hair care and make-up.

The expenses were couched as campaign accessories in a monthly RNC financial disclosure statement.

Senator McCain's campaign defended the expenditures, saying the apparel will go to charity after the November 4 election.

Gov Palin, who has described herself on the campaign trail as a moose-hunting hockey mom, told the crowd that her earrings, a gift from her mother-in-law, were also a product of her home state.

"These are from Todd's mom who is a native American up in Alaska. Native American. Native Alaskan. And my wedding ring, it's in Todd's pocket because it hurts when I shake hands. A $US35 ($51) wedding ring from Hawaii that I bought myself.

"I always thought, it's not what it's made of. It's what it represents," Gov Palin said.

"Twenty years later, happy to wear it."

She also pointed out that she was wearing a lapel pin in honour of her oldest son, who is serving with the US military.

"I'm a blue-star mom. I'm wearing this in honour of my son who is fighting over in Iraq right now," she said, before ending her inventory of her attire, saying "enough about clothes and hairdos and high heels".Vice-presidential hopeful Sarah Palin announced today she will forgo the expensive outfits purchased by the Republican Party for... more