LAUREN LIPTON

THE most elusive fashion stylist in America was nervous. “I want people to see that I did the best job I could under crazy circumstances,” she said.

Lisa A. Kline, 47, a mother of three, is the wardrobe consultant who made an Alaska hockey mom-turned-governor named Sarah Palin into chic vice-presidential material for the Republican National Convention in September 2008, and in doing so inadvertently set off a furor.

“Wardrobegate,” as Kline’s $150,000-plus fashion transformation became known, undermined Palin’s carefully crafted homespun image and details about pricey designer clothes may have played a role in derailing Senator John McCain’s presidential ambitions. In her new memoir, Going Rogue, Palin is trying to distance herself from the incident.

But the six-figure tab for the Palin family’s clothing during the convention was not as outrageous as it seems, Kline insists. Kline, a self-employed fashion consultant, specialises in dressing well-heeled corporate executives and television personalities. On August 29, 2008, Kline fielded a surprise phone call: was she available to dress Sarah Palin for the Republican National Convention? “Of course I said yes.”

In other circumstances, Kline said, she could have bought Palin’s wardrobe for far below retail through her relationships with designers. But it was the Friday of a holiday weekend and “there wasn’t a person around.” she said. She shopped in New York at Saks Fifth Avenue and Barneys. Arriving for the convention in Minneapolis, Kline planned a “run through” of outfits with Palin. Late on Tuesday, Kline said she was asked to provide clothes for the entire Palin family. “This was a family that was about to stand before the world, and they just came with their everyday-life clothes.” With less than 24 hours before the Palins’ national debut, it was decided that the luxury retailer Neiman Marcus offered the best available selection for the circumstances.