Robin Givhan, in the Washington Post:
The other men and women who have gone through this [Supreme Court nominating] process have not been daring in their wardrobe choices either. There hasn’t even been a pair of artful eyeglass frames in recent memory.
Justice Samuel Alito, for instance, looked utterly ordinary during his confirmation hearings — a forgettable blur of Washington’s standard dark suit, red tie, white shirt. And the most recent addition to the court, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, appeared to have been given a fast tutorial on the importance of wearing strong colors, basic black and neutral nail polish. All hints of personality were deftly extracted from her wrists, her lapels, her earlobes.
Given all the assumptions about the frivolous nature of fashion, perhaps their unremarkable appearance was reassuring. After all, the position they aspired to is freighted with so much serious responsibility.
But Kagan took the anti-style offensive several steps further. She put on rouge and lipstick for the formal White House announcement of her nomination, but mostly she embraced dowdy as a mark of brainpower. She walked with authority and stood up straight during her visits to the Hill, but once seated and settled during audiences with senators, she didn’t bother maintaining an image of poised perfection. She sat hunched over. She sat with her legs ajar.
I can’t take it. I really can’t take it.
