Palin Stylist Tells the Whole Wardrobe Story

Lisa Kline, the New York-based stylist who dressed the Palin family for their national debut at the Republican National Convention last year, tells the New York Times that Palin is telling the truth when she says in her memoir that she never participated in any shopping sprees. Kline got the call about making Palin over for the convention only three days before it began, and, after she arrived, was also asked to dress the rest of the family. She says she bought most of the clothes at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York and Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis.

Kline's story of the last 24 hours before the Palins took the stage details a whirlwind of shopping, tailoring and "run-throughs." The local Neiman Marcus store opened for her at 7 a.m., and store staff helped her and an assistant rush through selecting clothes for all of the Palin children and Levi Johnston. Once the clothes were bought, Kline set them up in Palin's suite at the Hilton for a hectic run-through.

"Oh, God, it was just staying focused," Kline recalls. "Get each person their outfit, get the clothing tailored right there in the room. The clothes literally went from the sewing machine onto their bodies. It was, 'OK, this is good, let's go, next!' "

There was a breakdown in communication with the campaign about the clothing expenses, which totaled around $150,000, including Kline's $54,000 fee for working "24-hour days" on a holiday weekend. Kline said Neiman Marcus never asked her for payment, as it had been pre-arranged by the RNC. Only after the purchases were made did she and other McCain staffers realize the expenses had not been approved.

Kline says she found Palin "very, very sweet" and enjoyed working with her despite the harried circumstances. She removed gold buttons from the $2,500 Valentino jacket Palin wore to give her convention speech because she thought they were too "grand," and shortened the sleeves to three-quarter length. "I felt I had achieved my goal," Kline said. "I thought she looked great. I really did. It was perfect for the occasion."