Unity means matching colors for Obama and Clinton

Adam Tschorn, guest blogger, pokes some improv fun at the uncannily synchronized looks of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton:

Did you see the powder blue tie Obama wore that perfectly matched Hillary's pantsuit?

How do you think THAT conversation went? Here's two aides talking:

Obama aide: "Um, senator? We have Senator Clinton on line two. Something about your color story for tomorrow. (pause) No sir. COLOR, not cover. She is suggesting something in the blues but approachable."

Clinton lackey: "Senator Clinton? I have the junior senator from Illinois on the line. He objects to baby blue because he thinks it is a subtle jab at his relative inexperience."

Obama aide: "Senator Obama? Sir. You've just received a package here from the Tie Rack. It's a tie, sir. With a note. It says, 'I hoped for a tie, but thought you'd appreciate this one."

photo: Jim Young, Reuters

Michael Jackson will design clothing line

Maybe you, too, can be the man in the mirror? People reports that the King of Pop may soon be known as the Sultan of Schmata. Michael Jackson -- with his predilection for shiny, satin shirts, military jackets, and spangly silver gloves -- will design a collection. And who better to partner with Jackson than Ed Hardy mastermind Christian Audigier? L.A. boutique Kitson will exclusively carry the threads.  For great sartorial homages to Jackson, check out this site, Polyvore.com.

Photo: WireImage

Come Sale Away: Recessionistas, welcome

The price of gas alone is enough to make you bypass the boutiques and stock up on sensible staples from Trader Joe's. The Rage feels your pain. But there is hope: Sample sales. Stick with us, kid, and we'll keep you posted on the best of the bunch.

This Friday and Saturday, Geren Ford's whimsical dresses and separates sell for up to 90% off at their downtown corporate office. This black frock (pictured)  is reduced to $80 from $325.  Capris will go for $60, down from $244.

Where: Geren Ford, Inc. -- 453 South Spring Street, Downtown (at 5th and Spring Streets)
When: Friday, June 27th: 3:30 to 6:30; Saturday, noon to 4:00.
Bring: Cash or a credit card and a girlfriend so you can divide and conquer.

photo: Geren Ford, Inc.

Doc Rivers' sweaty, stained shirt fetches $55,000

This just in: Celtics coach Doc Rivers donated his final game dress shirt to a charity auction and some poor sap bid $55,000 on it. The custom-made white ECC Life & Style cotton shirt with mother of pearl buttons was badly stained with pink Gatorade (maybe fruit punch flavor?) and also signed by Rivers and Celtics star Paul Pierce.

(Oh, and the Gatorade bucket came with it. That's probably how this guy explained his impulse purchase to his wife.)

The proceeds benefit the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation.

photo: Charles Krupa/AP

Madonna and Guy: living like brother and sister?

Today, the Mirror reports that Madonna and Guy are done as a couple -- but not yet ready to endure the onslaught that will follow an announcement.  One source says that Madonna is waiting for the end of her tour in November to publicly put a pin in her relationship. "They live like brother and sister rather than husband and wife and thought it best to call it a day," the source adds.

Earlier this month, Madonna's publicist Liz Rosenberg released this statement, amid rumors of marriage troubles:

"I am delighted to confirm that Mr. and Mrs. Guy Ritchie remain happily married. Though they were in different countries recently — Madonna in the U.S. doing promotion for her upcoming album, "Hard Candy," and Guy finishing up post-production on his new film, "RocknRolla," as well as completing a Nike commercial and working on several scripts in England — the family are joyfully back together at home in London. All is well and wonderful in the Ritchie household."

(Well, neither of them look happily married in this shot from Cannes in May.)

Still, it's interesting to see how the publicity machine never breaks down. Even in reporting that the couple is well and wonderful, Rosenberg manages to plug their projects too. And while clearly it would cause press pandemonium to announce a divorce while Madonna is on tour, it must suck to prolong a painful marriage just because of the paparazzi.

On an up note, Madonna could fall in love with one of her back-up dancers again, right?

Photo: WireImage

Must-have: $35 Salt Water sandals

A close friend who happens to be styling the new Abercrombie & Fitch campaign scooped up a few pairs of Salt Water sandals for her next shoot. They're manufactured by the Hoy Shoe Company in St. Louis and guaranteed to endure the harshest of elements. Salt water, included, of course. Suri Cruise and other celeb tots have been spotted wearing these cuties, but only the coolest of adults are in the know.

The Rage adores the fact that these simple leather retro shoes sell for $34.95 -- and you get to try them for 90 days and return them for 110% of your money back if they're not the "most comfortable" pair of shoes you ever owned.

Hey Mr. Louboutin, hear that?

photos: Salt Water sandals; Fashionisspinach.com

Naomi Campbell goes from court to catwalk

The Rage welcomes this dispatch from MIlan, where Adam Tschorn is covering men's fashion week:

Since this guest Rager was only a phone's throw from the runway, he's happy to report that supermodel Naomi Campbell was all smiles when she turned up unexpectedly on the Dolce & Gabbana catwalk, on the day after her much publicized sentencing on charges of air rage. We say unexpected because it is men's fashion week, after all.

The lone female in the show, the former Victoria's Secret model appeared in a black bra, a pair of boxer shorts and black and white Japanese print bath robe toward the end, while music from N.E.R.D. blared.

We wonder if it was an attempt to immediately rehab her image or whether she simply arrived in town without her luggage and decided to take a different approach.

photo: Peter Stigter.

Cindy McCain goes crazy for patriotic lapel pins

CONFESSION: I can't stop staring at Cindy McCain's chest. It's like a Fourth of July fireworks finale with all those sparkly patriotic pins on her lapel. They seem to be breeding like wild hares in her closet too. Every time she appears at a luncheon or a rally, there's yet another crystal-encrusted brooch.

Someone must have told her about the importance of flair. Political flair.

In the cult-hit 1999 movie "Office Space," Jennifer Aniston plays an apathetic waitress at a TGI Friday's-like eatery. Her suspenders are festooned with 15 pieces of promotional "flair" -- with goofy lines like "Who wants more peanut butter cheesecake?" or "Ask me about our extra, extra cheese option."

Still, her manager wants her to up her flair ante . . . to 37 pieces. "We want you to express yourself," he says, exasperated. "Flair is about fun." (So much so that an Office Space Box of Flair -- with 15 buttons -- was released last October and sells on Amazon.com.)

Clearly, McCain lets her lapels do the talking. She gets her flair from  Ann Hand, the go-to, Washington-based jeweler known for kitting out spouses of politicos (Karl Rove's wife Darby and Colin Powell's wife, Alma) and Capitol Hill players such as Madeleine Albright.

Her best seller is the "Liberty Eagle," which Hillary Rodham Clinton famously wore on her lapel in 1998, when she defended her husband's indiscretions on the "Today" show. The $150 gold-plated pin depicts an ornery-looking eagle perched protectively on a pearl. Betty Ford, Barbara Bush and Tipper Gore have all worn the bird, which has come to be known as the "Hillary pin."

In 2000, Cindy McCain sported the "Liberty Eagle" when her husband won the New Hampshire Republican primary and pundits wondered why she chose an accessory associated with a feisty female Democrat. The eagle pin hasn't been spotted since.

Nowadays, McCain smartly alternates between her crystal "USMC" and "NAVY" pins -- both pay tribute to her two sons' chosen military branches. There's also her "Blue Star" pin, which is traditionally worn by kin of soldiers in active duty. She sometimes sneaks this one onto the collar of a turtleneck. Then there's her blinged-out rhinestone "McCAIN 2008" flair.

"Most people wear just one," Hand says of the $45 brooches McCain favors. "But it's a very personal decision."

Apparently, it can be a difficult one too. In March, on a visit to the White House, McCain sported three pins at once. Was she excessive or indecisive? Either way, her lapel was blinding, more Lil' Kim than First Lady.

As the campaign heats up this summer, expect to see more flair. Even Barack Obama is wearing his flag pin after the McCarthy-like media melee that ensued when he decided to stop wearing one last October. (Well, in all fairness, not everyone can wear stripes.)

On Hand's website, you can see which rhinestone campaign flair is selling better. Tuesday's tally had John McCain ahead with 611 pins sold versus 162 for Obama. Will Michelle Obama break down and trade in her signature string of pearls for some "Obama 2008" flair?

In "Office Space," Aniston quits abruptly over her lack of flair and says: "I do want to express myself and I don't need 37 pieces of flair to do it." She gives her manager the bird. Um, not the eagle.

photos: Getty Images; Twentieth Century Fox; Ann Hand collection.

The Olsens: Don't call them twins or sisters

Are the Olsens on the outs? Hope not, as the two are set to launch a new jewelry line with Robert Lee Morris. But an interesting post on WWD's blog revealed that the two are getting touchy about their joint identity. Accessories market editor Caroline Tell reveals in her post that the Olsen's handler asked that she not refer to them as "twins" or "sisters" during the separate interviews she conducted with each one.

Clearly, the girls are keen to distinguish themselves. At some point, they might want to check out "Identical Strangers: A Memoir of Twins Separated and Reunited." The story of two 35-year-old women who discover that they are twins and seek out their other half. Publisher's Weekly wrote: "Despite disparate upbringings, education and work experiences, the twins share matching wild hand gestures, allergies, speech patterns and a penchant for the same art movies."

If just one of the Olsens ditched the oversized sunglasses and sky-high platform shoes, it would do wonders for separating the two -- right?

Photos: Badgley Mischka; Amazon.com.

Does Michelle Obama need a stylist?

Page Six is reporting that Vogue's Andre Leon Talley (left) wants to "style" Michelle Obama. Hell no! This is a man who wears fur mukaluks and turbans -- which are awesome accessories for him -- and shouldn't be meddling in a potential First Lady's closet.

Talley, you may recall, dressed actress Jennifer Hudson in  that ill-fitting, petulant bolero jacket for the Oscars. (Even she later admitted that she wished she hadn't followed his sartorial suggestions.) Aside from Talley's grandiosity, it would be a misstep to have Obama forfeit her signature style. Plus, it wouldn't behoove her to be lumped in with actresses who employ high-priced stylists to create their red carpet looks.

That's not to say that all former First Ladies cultivated their own style. Jackie Kennedy enlisted Oleg Cassini to create her iconic look. In his book, "A Thousand Days of Magic: Dressing Jacqueline Kennedy for the White House," Cassini wrote: "All I remember about those days are nerves, and Jackie on the phone 'Hurry, hurry, Oleg, I've got nothing to wear.' "

I would rather not think of Michelle Obama writing panicky texts to any stylists or designers about needing the "right shoe" or a "killer bag." Her style is impeccable and clearly, she doesn't need Talley's two cents.

AN HOUR LATER: A little more digging and I found out that Michelle Obama already works with a Chicago designer named Maria Pinto. You can check out her designs here  and buy her looks at Saks stores and Barneys too. This month, she will open her first retail shop in Chicago. Can't help but wonder if Obama will branch out soon. No doubt, designers have already approached. It's a smart move on her part to work with a local designer that may dress Oprah, but is not part of the crazy red carpet machine. Pinto's clothes are accessible and not outrageously priced at all. Hope she sticks with this designer to maintain a consistent look, but dabbles in Armani and Behnaz Sarafpour too.

Photos: WireImage; Fitzroy Barret/Landov