It is no mystery that what you wear communicates a lot, whether intentionally or unintentionally, to those around you. It is no accident that in times of war President Bush speaks before American wearing a red tie and during negotiations at Camp David he is seen wearing a blue tie. This week there has been a lot of talk in the news about the Republican Party spending 150,000 dollars on Sarah Palin's wardrobe. While it is embarrassing for the party that such information was leaked, they recognized how important Palin's appearance would be in the national spotlight. Today, Drudge reported that one of the regular places which Michelle Obama purchases clothing for the campaign trail is J crew; a clothing line often associated with young, rich, white America (think Dawson's Creek). The first lady elect, for a campaign manager, is a brand that is supposed to, hopefully, improve the brand at the top of the ticket. To win the race for the White House, Senator Obama's brand has to appeal to a majority of the American voting population which is the white middle class. It is no accident that Michelle's wardrobe, brand association, is often thought to go hand in hand with white America. What is interesting though it that it is associated with, a smaller voting block, rich America. I guess our "reference groups" really have been stretched vertically.