Suited for the Job?

Ha! Is there any female who pulls it off well?
I think Hillary should be taking a lesson from Nancy Pelosi, I really do. She, for me, is fashion on the Hill. She has a femininity yet a professionalism, and she has style. She's also not afraid to be a woman, and she celebrates it. She's not ever remotely vulgar or provocative in what she wears, but I have to say, she's a very sexy woman.

Alan Flusser, the author of ''Style and the Man,'' called Kennedy ''the last stylishly dressed president." Do you agree?
Well, you can't look at Kennedy without looking at Jackie, because they really enhanced each other. But it was clear that what was on the outside was important to them. They had a polish and a sophistication that was accessible, and I think that's why America embraced them. Those were the most glamorous days that Washington knew, and the only days that came remotely close to that were, frankly—and forgive me—the Reagan years, and I think it was the Hollywood aspect. Reagan knew how to dress, Nancy had her own designer clothes, and there were a lot of movie stars walking around.

What's your take on the current candidates, as a group?
I look at them and I feel like they've stepped out of the 1980s. And what really disturbs me, deep down in my very core, is whether these candidates really think that having people talk about your clothes in a positive way could be a bad thing. To think that they might answer yes horrifies me.

I hate to keep focusing on Hillary, but is there anything she's doing right?
[Pauses] You can say I responded with utter silence. [Laughs] But let me put it this way: her clothes fit her, she does have a polish, and she's well groomed. Those things are all good. But it's like she's wearing a whole body of Kevlar and she wants to make certain as much of her is protected as possible. I just want to say to her, "Hillary, don't be afraid to wear a dress!"

But do you think she avoids looking too feminine because the press gives her such a hard time?
When you think about what we consider feminine traits, I think those would be great in a leader and belong in the White House. I mean, we think of sensitivity as being feminine, and I think that is a wonderful quality and attribute. I think that's what she has to offer as the only female candidate: her womanhood. The fact that she's a mother. These are the things that none of the other candidates can even pretend to be. And I just wish she'd celebrate it more.

Have Americans moved on from the power-suit mentality, as Vogue editor Anna Wintour said recently?
Yes, those days are over. Yet the candidates don't seem to have received the memo.