-Jacqueline Kennedy

Oleg Cassini Apricot Silk Dress 1962

Jackie’s personal style became a focus of interest everywhere she went. In fact, her preference for French fashion drew some unwelcome media attention, spurring the opponent’s wife, Pat Nixon, to publicly defend American designers. This ultimately led the first lady to trust an American-based designer, Oleg Cassini, with coordinating much of her “official” wardrobe.

Could be a good plan for Michelle, doncha think? It may not be easy but surely she can find a good ‘ol USA designer who manufactures in America.

Whatever your politics, you have to admit that this power couple has a huge impact on society. Smart marketers quickly jumped on the bandwagon and made some fast cash selling t-shirts and such. Just think what they can do for the garment industry right here in the USA. Just because we sent manufacturing offshore doesn’t mean we can’t bring it back home. There are a few facilities here, making mostly jeans and t-shirts.

In fact, American Apparel has revolutionized the t-shirt business.  Presently, they are the largest clothing manufacturer in the United States employing over 4,000 at it’s factory headquarters. These are not minimum wage jobs as the average employee makes $12.00 an hour. 12 bucks is a far cry from what Mickey D’s and Burger King are paying.  Imagine if some other entrepreneurs took this business model and ran with it. Uh, I don’t know, maybe J. Crew, The Gap, the Limited, just to name a few.

In the photo, the First Lady is wearing an H&M dress that cost $34.90 and at that price probably not made in Sweden. Sure, we are the largest consumers of the cheap but what has it really cost us? A stable economy, that’s what.