Reality check: fashion and politics have never seemed to get along. Apparently, lawmaking calls for boring pantsuits and “mommy-style” skirting. Not any more. Thanks to Michelle Obama’s favorite designer, Maria Cornejo, Capitol Hill may be kissed with a little sassiness. During Fashion Week, Cornejo said Washington D.C. is stepping up its style.

Earlier in the year, Cornejo was in our nation’s capital to fight for the Design Piracy Prohibition Act. The DPPA is “a controversial bill that seeks to protect designers from knockoffs.” What will Chinatown do? The Greater Washington Fashion Chamber of Commerce is in limbo with the idea of a “Fashion Caucus,” which would fight for fashion issues, such as copyright protection. It will also protect New York’s Garment District and provide scholarships to fashion students through an endowment fund. Believe it or not, lawmakers are jumping on board.

However, don’t get too excited just yet. Those on board are of the left-winged spectrum. These fashion-inspired representatives include:
• Diane Watson (Democrat, California)
• Carolyn Maloney (Democrat New York)
• Kendrick Meek (Democrat, Florida)
• Sheila Jackson-Lee (Democrat, Texas)
• Eleanor Holmes Norton (Democrat, D.C.)
• Chaka Fattah (Democrat, Pennsylvania)
• Rosa DeLauro (Democrat, Connecticut)
• John Conyers, House Judiciary Committee chairman (Democrat, Michigan)

Next task, to pull those right-winged, ultra-conservatives away from the typical 1950s “power suit” and transform them into a modern day, American trendsetter. The more we can alleviate “mom” jeans paired with the “doesn’t-really-match” jean jackets, the better!

Thank you, Michelle Obama, for being America’s face of style and taking tacky out of the White House. Now, when we turn on our TV’s, we are tastefully greeted with a fresh breath of fashion air. Your Jackie O. inspired garments are inspiring us all. Let’s take a vote: mine is YES, to the Fashion Caucus. [NY Mag]