Although not exactly clueless, leading presidential candidates get a style repair to heighten their public appeal
IT COST THE US REPUBLICAN Party a cool $150,000 to give Sarah Palin, the former beauty queen governor of Alaska, an image makeover in 2008.

It seemed money well spent when the GOP vice presidential bet began appearing in public looking more polished in better-fitting, designer togs, and better hair color and makeup.

That some had criticized the change was too subtle for the amount spent, and that the cost itself would later become the subject of much debate, of course, are separate issues altogether. But at the time, it seemed so vital for the GOP to spend much on the image enhancement of its VP candidate and her family.

In the end, the world discovered just how far the Palin makeover magic worked: not much.

Yet politicians the world over continue to succumb to the ministering of image makers, stylists and spin doctors. Anything to woo votes. There?s, however, no surefire formula: Some, like Palin, dress up; others dress down to appeal to the masses. Still others attempt to look more mature, presumably to appear more experienced; a few do the exact opposite: They get Botox.

Which brought us to ask: What have our presidential front-runners done in the name of ?pa-pogi??

?Huwag pang-Boy Abunda?

Sen. Noynoy Aquino

When Sen. Benigno ?Noynoy? Aquino III announced his bid for the presidency in September, youngest sister Kris Aquino went on wardrobe-upgrade overdrive for her brother. The actress-TV host placed ?bulk? orders of business suits, barong and casual clothes for the campaign trail from at least four top designers.

JC Buendia, who has been making some of Aquino?s suits since he became senator six years ago, said the job order had increased since September. It has always been Kris placing the orders for her brother, he said. This time, she also had Randy Ortiz, Joey Samson and Ivarluski Aseron make several suits for her brother. (Buendia also makes clothes for President Arroyo.)

The four designers all said Aquino prefers looser silhouettes, which, they added, is challenging if the goal is to give him a younger, more modern look.

?Huwag naman pang-Boy Abunda,? he had told Buendia, referring to the TV host?s trendy, tapered pant silhouettes.

?He wants comfort,? Buendia added.

?To a degree [I want looser pants],? Aquino told Inquirer Lifestyle. ?Especially if you have to be active, you have to climb [some places in the campaign trail]. You can?t be slow when you move.?

His designers said he would look more modern if he wore slimmer-cut pants. His pants, they added, should always be flat-front.

?I?d also like to redefine the shoulder of his jacket,? Ortiz said. ?The sleeves should be narrower and the length shorter.?

Unlike Aquino, his running mate Sen. Mar Roxas is more definitive with his sartorial choices, Ortiz added. Roxas, the designer said, is meticulous with the fitting, from the cuff to the neck. ?He knows what he wants, he knows his clothes and he remembers. He would say, ?You made one for me like that.?? (Ortiz also designed Roxas? clothes for his wedding to Korina Sanchez.)

Unperturbed

Aquino, however, seems unperturbed by wardrobe matters. ?Barong daw has thick cuffs now,? he said, demonstrating four imaginary inches on his wrist. ?Paano ba ?yun, lumalampas sa wrist. Couture daw. Napaka-impractical niyon!?

Even then, Samson said he was able to coax Aquino into incorporating color in his wardrobe?even if it?s just in the lining. ?I can?t change the silhouette that he wants, but I thought I could do something about the color [of the lining].? Known for his suits with luxurious, Italian-style lining, Samson suggested his idea to his VIP client, who agreed, albeit with a caveat: ?Huwag lang red.?

?If I had my way I would want a more streamlined cut for him,? said Samson. ?But it?s his call. He wants comfort, and I understand since that?s what a lot of male clients want. Also, he?s a senator so he has to look a certain way.?

Though he prefers three-button and double-breasted suits, Aseron said Aquino would look better in two-button styles. Linen suits would also look nice, he added. ?Those pique polo shirts he has been using, those make him look younger... He?s very easy to please.?

Buendia agreed. ?If he likes something, he texts Kris. Then Kris would text me, ?Noy liked the shirts,?? referring to the black stretch-cotton, button-down polo with yellow ribbon embroidery that has been one of Aquino?s campaign uniforms.

Since the start of the campaign, Aquino lost his paunch so that his clothes fit better now, Buendia said. (Aquino, however, claimed he had gained a couple of pounds since September.)

While he had submitted himself to some sort of makeover, Aquino still can?t quite embrace a more radical change. Kris was a big influence at the onset, though now, ?not as much as you would imagine,? Aquino said.

No Botox

He strongly rejected Botox. ?No, no! You can see it here,? he said, pointing to his forehead. ?In my commercials, whenever I?m serious you can see [the creases] and it?s the bane of the director and cinematographer? It?s toxin, poison. It?s not something I would willingly introduce into my body? ?Eto pa (pointing to his pate) baka at some point? My stylist is suggesting this and that. Perhaps it?s getting more difficult for them to cut it.?

You mean, hair implants? we asked.

?Some of my colleagues in the House have done it, so they?re suggesting the same, mga implants. But it?s not one of my priorities at this point.?

Then he said, pointing at his pate, "I tell people that at least it should remind them of our denuded forest. We haven?t delineated our forests. This hair should grow when we?re done with reforestation."

Admitting to being a smoker, he said his only workout is the campaign itself. ?I won?t say I?m watching my diet, that?s not true,? he said with a guffaw. ?I try to take precaution. I take all the meds prescribed to me.?

He has, however, cut down his nicotine habit?but only ?by force of circumstance.?

?You have a sortie, there?s a gap and you take a smoking break. Then there?ll be people asking to take pictures, you like to puff, and that will be the last puff. By default, you don?t really get to smoke as much. Then, of course, the hours are something else so I try to pace myself.?

If his rivals choose to go the Botox way, it?s their business, Aquino said. ?Kung priority nila ?yun. I?m more conscious of the substance of the message rather than the form of delivery of the message. What we?re hoping to do is to get people thinking of the various platforms and issues, rather than the wrapping the substance comes in.

?Siguro if you have a ghastly, unkempt appearance, people won?t give you the time of day. On the other hand, you wear a T-shirt that?s a little slim, then people grab you [at the hem]. At the end of the day, bell-shaped na. It?s not your fault.?

How to look ?presidential?

Sen. Manny Villar

Fellow presidential candidate and Sen. Jamby Madrigal got everyone laughing at the 1st Edition Inquirer Presidential Debate when she complimented Sen. Manuel ?Manny? Villar?s tina (dyed hair), in answer to what she liked about her colleague.

Villar then shot back that he would refer Madrigal to his barber Ferdinand.

His new, darker hair color is possibly the most marked change in Villar. Some camps, however, have insinuated he has undergone more radical cosmetic procedures, like Botox injections. His friends would neither confirm nor deny.

Villar is a looker. He is what one would describe as simpatico, with a good fashion sense to boot. The latter he owes to his personal stylist, only daughter Camille.

?If you recall, he used to be seen wearing only suits,? said a friend and supporter, who requested anonymity. ?When he began campaigning for the presidency, that?s when he started to dress more casually. He started wearing polo shirts and jackets.?

A workaholic, Villar is used to waking up early and is very disciplined, said another friend. He watches what he eats, but drinks a lot of coffee. He stays fit via 30-minute, thrice-weekly runs on the treadmill.

With a report from Jake Ramirez, Contributor