Awesomely Bad Fashion Trends on Capitol Hill

July 5, 2012 -- intro: People think Capitol Hill is filled with boring black suits and bad fashion sense. But there's more--here are some awesomely bad fashion trends in politics.

quicklist: 1title: Politicans in Cowboy Hatstext: This fourth of July, President Obama had Independence Day on the mind and on the head. Obama tried on an awesomely bad American flag-patterned cowboy hat on the South Lawn of the White House. President isn't the only politican sporting cowboy hats these days, Fla. Rep. Frederica Wilson wore a flamboyant, hot pink cowboy hat while speaking about the Trayvon Martin shooting. Politicans including Herman Cain and Rick Perry have also been known to sport the western-style head wear.

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quicklist: 2title: Seersucker Suitstext:With the summer season upon us, it is only appropriate to don a seersucker suit to work on Capitol Hill. Former Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi proposed "Seersucker Thursday" to his colleagues in the late '90s. The former senator told an ABC Reporter that "the tradition came about by accident" when "one day I wore a seersucker suit and everyone in the office harassed me about it." That's all it took for the former majority leader to create this new tradition on Capitol Hill. "I figured it was a way to develop camaraderie and a sense of bipartisanship in the Senate," Lott continues. "If you can't be bipartisan about seersucker, what can you be bipartisan about?"

The traditionally light blue (other colors pop up, too) and white striped all-cotton fabric suit is intended to combat the brutal D.C. humidity. It's worn on the Hill on the first official day of summer which is also the day that Republican leaders hold an ice cream social in their office.

Lott has kept the seersucker sentiment alive in his office at Patton Boggs, a public policy and lobbying firm. "We still celebrate seersucker Thursday in my office," Lott confessed. "Over 40 men and women dressed in seersucker outfits, all the interns in the firm even caught onto the trend." When asked if this tradition should be kept alive on Capitol Hill, he replied, "Of course, it should be kept alive so people can laugh at each other!"

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quicklist: 3title: Cowboys in Congresstext:If you thought there were no cowboys in Washington, think again! Legislators love sporting their leather, block-heeled cowboy boots around the Capitol. Congressman Jim Matheson, D-Utah, said he has worn them since he was a young man. "As a member of Congress it's fun wearing cowboy boots on Capitol Hill. A bipartisan group of folks from the West wear them," Matheson says. "It's a way to establish a sort of camaraderie and regional distinction and I think that's fun."

When asked if the boots match his suit, the Congressman replied, "Well, I sure think they do. I usually wear Lizards or Kangaroo's and those are great boots, I think they look really nice. I don't wear old scuffed-up boots at work like the ones I wear while riding my horse."

Matheson claims that close to 15 or 20 members of congress sport the sturdy boot on Capitol Hill but they are not the only ones. Cowboy boots have even been in fashion for former Presidents Reagan, Clinton, and the Bushes.

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