Hillary's 'pantsuit tee' and the merchandise arms race

Political souvenirs and memorabilia are a staple of modern political events. Candidates and their campaigns are increasingly trying to get in on the game, however - and it's not just yard signs and bumper stickers anymore.

When you think about campaign memorabilia merchants, Robin McNamara is probably the kind of person who comes to mind.

She travels to conservative events across the US - "at least 20 a year", she says - selling a variety of red-white-and-blue political chotchkies, spread out across tables in all their (old) glory.

"Our most popular lines are the 'We the people' t-shirts," she says during a stop in Oklahoma City for the Southern Republican Leadership Conference. The shirts are available in an array of colours and feature quotes from the kind of politicians a conservative crowd might love - Founding Fathers, Abraham Lincoln and, of course, Ronald Reagan.

"They're all relevant to what's going on in our country today," she says. "It also makes people think about what the country was founded on, and it makes conversation."

Although McNamara's shirts may have been big sellers in Oklahoma, the article of political clothing driving conversation the past few days comes from the other side of the political spectrum - and it can only be purchased on Hillary Clinton's campaign website.

Behold, the Everyday Pantsuit Tee, "bringing a whole new meaning to casual Friday", according to the website description.

Available for $30 (£20), the shirt is just one of a variety of Hillary-themed products for sale on the campaign site. "A woman's place is in the White House" throw pillows. Future Voter onesies emblazoned with Mrs Clinton's campaign logo. Coffee mugs and biking caps. And, of course, bumper stickers and yard signs. But those are so passe these days.

No, it's the pantsuit shirt that's been getting all the press since the Clinton merchandise shop went live earlier this week. And like everything Hillary, it's being analysed and dissected for what it reveals about the candidate, her strategy, her soul.

Robin McNamara says she sells merchandise at more than 20 political events a year

"The goods themselves carry political weight and shine a light onto the talking points we can expect from Clinton for the next year and a half," writes Boston.com's Charlotte Wilder.

It's all part of Mrs Clinton's efforts to create an appealing "lifestyle brand", says Jezebel's Bobby Finger. "A candidate isn't truly running for the country's highest elected office until their name is stitched, stuck or printed all over their supporters' bodies, homes, offices and cars."

But what about the garment itself? Is it pleasing to the eye? Should it be worn reverentially? Ironically? Or not at all? The reviews are, shall we say, less than positive.

"The unisex pantsuit t-shirt, reminiscent of the ubiquitous tuxedo t-shirt sold on boardwalks and in Spencer's Gifts in malls across America, has the distinction of being the most aesthetically unappealing piece of political paraphernalia that I have ever had the displeasure of laying eyes on," writes Olivia Nuzzi for the Daily Beast.

The sweater vest became Rick Santorum's 2012 trademark piece of apparel

The shirt is "pretty unattractive", agrees Quartz's Jenni Avins. But it's all part of a canny strategy on the part of the former secretary of state.

"It not only shows a bit of self-referential humour - Clinton has already reclaimed the pantsuit joke - it also acknowledges that the candidate's physical appearance plays a part in her candidacy, a fact that causes much hand-wringing for feminists who acknowledge the power of fashion."

The joke, writes New York magazine's Jamie Fuller, "has officially been rendered inert and may now join Rick Santorum's sweater-vest in political-uniform-wisecrack heaven".

Mr Santorum, it should be noted, formally announced his candidacy for president on Wednesday, but he has yet to offer any sweater vest t-shirts on his website. It's early in the campaign season, however. There's still hope for him.

If Mrs Clinton has a rival for total campaign swag, it's Kentucky Senator Rand Paul (although Ted Cruz's red-white-and-blue fist poster deserves honourable mention). Mr Paul's online store is full of "Don't drone me, bro" t-shirts, campaign-themed beer coozies and woven blankets with a photo of the candidate, arm upraised.

For Rand Paul, the Constitution is a political lode stone - and a t-shirt feature

The site used to sell Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses - Mr Paul's favourite brand - with the candidate's logo etched on one stem, but the company objected to the unauthorised alteration of its product.

Mr Paul was also recently criticised for being a little too quick to monetise his purportedly principled actions. When he took to the Senate floor last week for an extended speech about the perils of the Patriot Act's metadata surveillance programme, his Twitter feed urged supporters to buy a $30 "filibuster starter pack" that includes a t-shirt, bumper sticker and campaign-branded plastic tabs to cover your laptop's built-in "NSA spy cam".

All this could end up being the start of a merchandise arms race of sorts, and some in the media have already taken note of early winners and losers.

"Jeb Bush seems to be falling behind in the merch derby," writes the Washington Post's Emily Heil. "Shirts and bumper stickers available at his campaign store are painfully earnest."

Barack Obama campaign guru David Axlerod is credited with being the mastermind who started the hip campaign merchandise trend back in 2008. His candidate's fashion-designer-created apparel, emblazoned with the iconic sun-rising "O" logo, filled campaign coffers and helped build a record-breaking donor and volunteer database.

Barack Obama cashed in on campaign merchandise sales in 2008

And that, more than all the campaign-themed product placement, may be the real objective behind the rise of the candidate-run store.

"Voters who buy merchandise are often willing to pull out their credit cards for future donations to the campaign," writes Vox's Jonathan Allen. "And it helps the campaigns boost the percentage of donors who give small amounts, figures they often use to argue that they aren't pawns of their big-dollar contributors."

Not that all of the offerings are available for "small amounts", however.

Mr Paul's website offers a (faux?) leather-bound pocket version of the US Constitution, signed by the Kentucky senator. The price tag is a cool $1,000.

Having the original intent of the Founding Fathers at your fingertips doesn't come cheap, it seems.