After Hillary Clinton wore this distinctive coat at a Tokyo airport Monday, one blogger predicted quite plausibly it would "fly off the rack." Her female predecessors had signature adornments too:

For Condoleezza Rice, it was high-heeled boots. When George W. Bush's second Secretary of State wore these knee-highs to Wiesbaden Army Airfield in Germany four years ago, the Washington Post's Robin Givhan daydreamed Rice was a "dominatrix," adding, "Rice's coat and boots speak of sex and power — such a volatile combination, and one that in political circles rarely leads to anything but scandal."

With her many pins (see People spread at left) and her occasional Stetson hat, Madeleine Albright was perhaps more practical than Rice, but no less pioneering. Wrote People, "the Czech-born Albright, 61, has brought new panache to power dressing, winning praise for her colorful, well-tailored suits and bold brooches."

(Pics from top to bottom: AFP/Getty Images; Associated Press; People)