Thursday, January 13, 2011

You Know I Love Sandra.

I recently found this post about Sandra Lee. Emphases mine:

She stood beside him, holding the Bible, as he was sworn in as the 56th governor of New York. Clad in an all-white ensemble including pearls, a floral brooch and a white designer shift dress, Sandra Lee smiled lovingly at her boyfriend of four years, Andrew Cuomo.

At 53, Cuomo had finally achieved his life’s ambition. And the Food Network queen, famed for her TV show “Semi-Homemade Cooking” and her frugal recipes that have turned her into a multimillionaire, was officially “first lady” of the state — whether she liked it or not.

PHOTOS: SANDRA LEE

“Semi-Homemade” star Sandra Lee wore this embellished frock to an awards show in October, then chose it again for her boyfriend Andrew Cuomo’s swearing-in on New Year’s Eve — keeping in step with her frugal style.
Getty Images
“Semi-Homemade” star Sandra Lee wore this embellished frock to an awards show in October, then chose it again for her boyfriend Andrew Cuomo’s swearing-in on New Year’s Eve — keeping in step with her frugal style.
Photos: All white already!

The days of keeping her professional life separate from her partner’s and their private life private, as she did when Cuomo served as attorney general, were finally over. Just seven days after the inauguration, at a press conference to promote her work against hunger, she failed to sidestep public interest in her relationship. “You’re dodging little questions here and there when it comes to the governor,” a reporter told her.

Lee appeared stupefied, and her publicist abruptly shut down the meeting.

But while Lee, 44, remains quiet about her boyfriend, speculation grows about what kind of first lady she will be. It is clear she wants to be seen as ethical. Lee has made it known that she — not the state — pays for her personal bodyguards. While she and Cuomo live in Westchester, she plans to only occasionally visit the governor’s 40-room Albany mansion, which boasts a full-time domestic staff.

She also wants to be seen as thrifty. The dress she wore to the inauguration was actually an old favorite she had previously donned for the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame Awards on Oct. 27.

Her shoes, $825 “Gres’s” open-toe pumps by Christian Louboutin , had also been trotted out to other red carpet events.

I haven't paid $825 in my entire life for all my shoes added up. Oh. That Louboutin shoe site up there? Horrible web site. Only thing I got was a creepy guy who looked like the director of medicine, Hector Elizondo, at Chicago Hope - that hospital show back when.

“She’s recycling her clothes and wearing the same shoes and dress. It’s very important in this economy,” says Stacy London, host of TLC’s “What Not To Wear.” “You want people to know that you understand that there is economic hardship around you.”

Joanna Coles, editor-in-chief of Marie Claire, says Lee’s fashion choices prove she’s a perfect symbol for our cash-strapped age. “Most people wear designer dresses several times,” Coles says. “It’s the only way you can justify the price. I think New York women will like her better for it.”

In fact, Lee is extremely calculated and strategic about what she wears, using her mostly all-white wardrobe to project an aura of “happy, shiny and pretty” to the public, says an insider close to Lee, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

5 comments:

Rose II said...

$825 is a drop in the bucket, compared to what Aunt Sandy wastes on materials for her tableskrapes.

Rosie Hawthorne said...

Valid point, Rose. Then you need to rent a storage facility to put all the crap. Chandeliers take up a lot of room. As do bird cages and chocolate fountains.

Rosie Hawthorne said...

Don't forget the bolts of fabric.

Rose II said...

And faux Buddhas!

(word verification is ^scuzz^)

Rosie Hawthorne said...

How could I forget the faux Buddhas?
They take up a lot of room!