by Heather Murphy

It was inevitable. Select a woman as your running-mate and you are inviting an F-word firestorm: Fashion. Yes indeed, blogs and "serious" news sites are alike already picking apart Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's hemlines and collars — offering strategic suggestions for how to best spin her eyeglass frames.

Where should Palin turn for style cues? Well, if current VP Dick Cheney learned one style lesson while in office, it was not to wear a fur-lined parka and hiking boots to Holocaust remembrance ceremonies. Washington Post fashion writer Robin Givhan has his "snow-blower" style outfit to thank for her Pulitzer. Ms. Palin, we know you like fur — and activities that require sturdy boots — but be careful where you wear them.

Palin also might want to reflect on the fashion lessons learned by the United States' First Ladies. Sure, their role is wholly different than VP's, but they know the ins and out of sartorial scrutiny better than perhaps anyone.

With that in mind, we invite you to peruse this narrated gallery of First Lady fashion through the ages. See why it's not a good idea to recycle a gown or get too experimental with bangs when your husband is the president. See what Cindy McCain looked like long before she was doing the glam-leather thing (it's startling). Enjoy...and do not try these outfits at home.

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