Hillary Clinton and the Color Purple: Unity, Calming & Faith

Hillary Clinton concession look–she wore a jacket with purple lapels and a matching blouse. Photo via Getty Images.

If you believe like I do that fashion reflects our emotions, then you may have wondered why both Bill and Hillary Clinton wore purple today  for her concession speech.  To me, and other commentators, like Carl Bernstein, the Clintons wearing purple seemed to be a significant choice.

I think there are several reason Hillary and Bill Clinton choose to accessorize with purple. Hillary wore a Ralph Lauren pantsuit with a purple on the lapels and a matching top.  Bill Clinton wore a matching purple tie with his blue suit.   Purple is a color of spirituality and rebirth as Carl Bernstein pointed out on CNN.  It’s also one of the colors the early suffragettes wore.   (Many times during the campaign, Hillary tipped her hat at the early suffragettes by wearing white.)  Beyond that, it’s a color that has symbolized rebirth, imagination, dreams and even calming.  If you listened to Mrs. Clinton today, whether you love or hate her, her speech was calming. She spoke about unity and moving forward.  she was gracious.

“Our campaign was never about one thing, it was about building about the country we love and building an America that’s hopeful, inclusive, and big-hearted, ” said Hillary Clinton.

Some people on Twitter also commented that purple could represent the need to combine the red and blue into one united color, which would be purple.   If you’ve read Alice Walker’s book The Color Purple, purple can be a reminder that even in tough times there is beauty around us.

“I think it [ticks] God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it. God made the color purple to please us, just to be beautiful. Most people think that our purpose in life is to please God, but God is trying to please us. That’s why God made the color purple”

What do you think readers? I don’t think Hillary Clinton was just picking out her favorite pantsuit this morning.  She was making a statement.