Rep. John Lincoln, D-Kotzebue, left, Rep. Neal Foster, D-Nome, Rep. Tiffany Zulkosky, D-Bethel, and Rep. Bryce Edgmon, D-Dillingham, right, wear kuspuks as they are sworn into their House seats on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Rep. John Lincoln, D-Kotzebue, left, Rep. Neal Foster, D-Nome, Rep. Tiffany Zulkosky, D-Bethel, and Rep. Bryce Edgmon, D-Dillingham, right, wear kuspuks as they are sworn into their House seats on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Photos: The Best Dressed at the Alaska State Capitol

The budget may be boring but the outfits aren’t.

The Alaska State Capitol is a world unto itself, with its own culture and style. Photographer Michael Penn gives you a look at the best dressed of the 31st Legislative Session.


• Contact staff photographer Michael Penn at 523-2262 and mpenn@juneauempire.com. Follow our Instagram at @Juneau.Life.


Stephanie Hall, the House Journal Clerk, poses with the embroidered top she made at the Capitol on Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Stephanie Hall, the House Journal Clerk, poses with the embroidered top she made at the Capitol on Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson, D-Anchorage, Rep. Andi Story, D-Juneau, and Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, arrive to listen to Gov. Mike Dunleavy give his State of the State speech at the Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson, D-Anchorage, Rep. Andi Story, D-Juneau, and Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, arrive to listen to Gov. Mike Dunleavy give his State of the State speech at the Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Sen. John Coghill, R-North Pole, left, and Sen. Mike Shower, R-Wasilla, power walk to attend Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s State of the State speech to a Joint Session of the Alaska Legislature on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Sen. John Coghill, R-North Pole, left, and Sen. Mike Shower, R-Wasilla, power walk to attend Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s State of the State speech to a Joint Session of the Alaska Legislature on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Sen. Shelley Hughes, R-Palmer, walks to attend Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s State of the State speech to a Joint Session of the Alaska Legislature on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Sen. Shelley Hughes, R-Palmer, walks to attend Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s State of the State speech to a Joint Session of the Alaska Legislature on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Gov. Mike Dunleavy is escorted to his State of the State speech in the House chamber at the Capitol in Juneau, Alaska, by Rep. Sara Hannan, D-Juneau, left, and Sen. David Wilson, R-Wasilla, (and Gavel Alaska’s Skip Gray, right) to a Joint Session of the Alaska Legislature on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Gov. Mike Dunleavy is escorted to his State of the State speech in the House chamber at the Capitol in Juneau, Alaska, by Rep. Sara Hannan, D-Juneau, left, and Sen. David Wilson, R-Wasilla, (and Gavel Alaska’s Skip Gray, right) to a Joint Session of the Alaska Legislature on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Amory Lelake, left, and Drew Cason, staffers for Rep. Bryce Edgmon, take in events leading up to the State of the State at the Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Amory Lelake, left, and Drew Cason, staffers for Rep. Bryce Edgmon, take in events leading up to the State of the State at the Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Senate Pages Sydney Krebsbach, left, and Matthew Puckett dressed for work at the Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Senate Pages Sydney Krebsbach, left, and Matthew Puckett dressed for work at the Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Grace Kubitz, staff for Rep. Zack Fields, photographed at the Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Grace Kubitz, staff for Rep. Zack Fields, photographed at the Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Patrick Fitzgerald, staff for Rep. Laddie Shaw, photographed at the Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Patrick Fitzgerald, staff for Rep. Laddie Shaw, photographed at the Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Chad Hutchison, Council for the Senate Majority, photographed at the Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Chad Hutchison, Council for the Senate Majority, photographed at the Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Ryan Johnston, staff for Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux, photographed at the Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Ryan Johnston, staff for Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux, photographed at the Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Rep. Zack Fields, D-Anchorage, carries his 14-month-old daughter, Zara, along with him as he works at the Capitol on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Rep. Zack Fields, D-Anchorage, carries his 14-month-old daughter, Zara, along with him as he works at the Capitol on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

More in News

The Norwegian Bliss arrives in Juneau on Monday, April 14, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Ships in port for the week of May 12

This information comes from the Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska’s 2024 schedule.… Continue reading

The Alaska House of Representatives is seen in action on Monday, May 5, 2025. (James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
Republican opposition kills bill intended to fix Alaska’s absentee voting problems

Senate Bill 64 passed the Senate this week, but the House doesn’t have enough time to address it, legislators said.

Fu Bao Hartle (center), a Juneau Special Olympics athlete, crosses a bridge with family and supporters during the annual Alaska Law Enforcement Torch Run on Saturday, May 17, 2025. (Ellie Ruel / Juneau Empire)
Community spirit shines at Juneau’s Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics

Energy was high at race to fundraise to send Juneau’s athletes to Anchorage Summer Games.

The Alaska State Capitol is seen behind a curtain of blooming branches on Saturday, May 17, 2025. (James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
Most state services will see no new funding in final Alaska state budget draft

Flat funding, combined with inflation, will mean service cuts in many places across the state.

Steve Whitney (left) is sworn in as a Juneau Board of Education member by Superior Court Judge Amy Mead in the library at Thunder Mountain Middle School on Saturday, May 17, 2025, after five candidates were interviewed by the other board members to fill the seat vacated when Will Muldoon resigned last month. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Steve Whitney returns to Juneau school board six years after departure to temporarily fill vacant seat

Fisheries manager and parent selected from among five candidates to serve until October’s election.

A used gondola purchased from an Austrian ski resort is seen as the key to Eaglecrest Ski Area’s year-round operations and a secure financial future. (Eaglecrest Ski Area photo)
Board chair: Eaglecrest’s gondola pushing limits of 2028 completion deadline under Goldbelt agreement

Company can nix $10M deal if work not finished on project ski area calls vital to its financial future.

Two spawning pink salmon head upstream in shallow water in Cove Creek in Whittier on Aug. 5, 2024. While last year’s pink salmon runs and harvests were weak, big increases are expected this year. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Alaska officials forecast improvements for the state’s commercial salmon harvest

Total catch is projected to be twice the size of last year’s weak harvest.

Juneau law enforcement officers stand in formation while Alaska Wildlife Trooper Sgt. Branden Forst reads the names of Southeast Alaska’s fallen officers on Friday, May 16, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
Fallen officers remembered in annual ceremony during National Police Week

Memorial recognizes their sacrifice and the highest officer assault rate in the past decade.

Adam Telle, nominee for assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, answers questions during a confirmation hearing this week. (Senate Armed Services Committee photo)
Trump’s nominee to head Army Corps of Engineers vows ‘expedited’ fix for Juneau’s glacial outburst floods

Adam Telle says “it’s going to require creativity,” without offering a specific timeline, at confirmation hearing.

Most Read