What to Wear to CPAC 2014: PolitiChicks Picks

With the 2014 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) right around the corner, many ladies have been asking us at PolitiChicks what they should (and shouldn’t) wear. PolitiChicks anchors Morgan Brittany, Gina Loudon and I have similar yet unique styles of our own so we want to share our must-haves for CPAC with you.

Morgan Brittany is our classic, timeless PolitiChick anchor.  She says:

For CPAC the absolutely, 100% most important item women must have is a shoe that is both sexy and comfortable!  Since we walk a gazillion miles over the course of the convention it is a necessity to have a shoe that works with different outfits and loves your feet.  I have had a lot of luck with a medium heel pump in either black or a nude color.  With just enough heel height it makes your legs look sexy but you can still run down an interview if you have to.

I stay pretty basic and try to mix and match with a jacket, blouse and pants.

I will also bring a dress for dinner. 

Traveling light is the key so I try to make everything go together.  Throw in some simple statement jewelry, like the Touchstone Crystal dogtag-style necklaces that Gina, Ann-Marie and I wear (benefitting the Gary Sinise Foundation).  Wear your American flag pin or a fabulous scarf and you are done!

Gina Loudon is our edgy, trend-setting PolitiChick.  We’re not sure if we’ve ever seen her without at least a 3” heel–including this one from CPAC 2013 and yes, that’s a gun heel with ammo straps:

Gina says:

“My favorite quote by Coco Chanel is, ‘In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.’

I think elegance can have an edge.  Something that says, ‘I think for myself, and don’t only follow.’  Still, today so many people try so hard to stand out that they all end up looking alike.

That is the quintessential reason for conservatism to begin with… government has grown so big and liberty-devouring that people feel like a number.  The saddest part of that reality is that most never stop to ask WHY they feel like a number, or to attack the real source of the problem – big government.  

But conservatives do!

Constitutional conservatives know that we are the ones not going with the flow – that the only people who go with the flow are dead fish, especially when a republic is under attack.

It has become hip to look like a conservative.  Duck Dynasty is just one example of the trends that those who TRULY question imperialism are setting. All the hot, new designs have guns.  The ‘Murica’ trend is further patriotic declaration that God and Country are the #Hip combo today!   

As GK Chesterton said, ‘He is a very shallow critic who cannot see an eternal rebel in the heart of a conservative.’  

So this year at CPAC, it’s #RebelChic. To paraphrase Coco Chanel, conservatives don’t need to ‘do’ fashion, we have BECOME fashion.  Or again as Coco Chanel says, ‘Adornment, what a science! Beauty, what a weapon! Modesty, what elegance!’”

As for my personal CPAC style, I’m somewhere in-between Morgan and Gina. My miniskirt days are over, and I can barely walk in 2” heels these days—but I also love to add a few trendy items to my wardrobe each season. Travel-wise, while Gina and Morgan are somehow able to bring all their clothes and accessories in one carry-on bag, I usually bring at least 2 large 49.5 pound suitcases crammed full of almost everything I own. This isn’t the best option, as it’s not only difficult to maneuver through airports but from Wednesday thru Sunday, I probably end up wearing 6-7 outfits out of the 20+ I bring with me.

Each day I like to wear clothes that can transition from day to evening. Day 1, I usually wear my PolitiChicks t-shirt and a skirt, just to kind of say “we’re here!”  After a few hours I change into my on-camera clothes and because I’m doing interviews all day, I like to wear dresses and heels, and jazz them up for evening with accessories.

So here are some items that Morgan, Gina and I recommend for CPAC.

Daytime Shoes:

As Morgan said, you’ll walk “a gazillion miles” during CPAC so whatever shoes you wear make sure they’re broken in and as comfortable as possible. We prefer heels, mainly because we’ll be on camera, but there are lots of cute flat shoes that are trendy and comfy. (By the way, as comfortable as they may be, you might want to avoid wearing tennis shoes; at CPAC things happen pretty fast and you never know where you’ll end up.)

So wear your more comfy shoes—lower heel and/or wedge-style–during the day and change into your painful-yet-gorgeous shoes in the evening.  Here are some options, ranging from low to higher prices:

Nine West Margot (around $60 at Zappos.com)

Coach pumps are ultra-comfortable.  Here are some basics from Macy’s:

Flats from Banana Republic:

Clothes, Daytime to Evening:

Here are some day-to-evening looks we recommend, including retail dresses from TheLimited.com and designer dresses from one of our favorite CONSERVATIVE designers Bradley Scott, who has dressed almost every Fox News woman you can think of.  From TheLimited.com:

From Bradley Scott’s Collection:

Evening/Formal Looks by Bradley Scott (for your more formal Washington D.C. events, Reagan Dinner, etc.): 

Evening Shoes: If you want to stray from your basic black pumps, ankle strap pumps are “the” thing for Spring 2014. Here are some strappy options from Stuart Weitzman: