Dressing in the Free World

Looking at photographs of the heads of state of the Group of 8 nations has convinced me that we will learn little from looking at the dress of political men anywhere. So I am not going to repeat this type of essay for a while.

Nor am I going to waste our collective time bemoaning the lack of white linen in our leaders' breast pockets as our global challenges go deeper than that. Just as England's Prince Charles is photographed in jackets whose collars stand away from his neck now that he's switched to made to measure suits from Turnbull & Asser, the leaders of the free, semi-free and not so free world appear to have a disinterest in tailoring except as it fulfills its role as a uniform.



The poorly fitted collar tradition is honored by Vladimir Putin (right), whose statesmanlike dress could be improved by showing some shirt cuff and improved still more if he switched to a better tailor.


Canada's Stephen Harper shares Mr. Putin's fit problems but is at least showing a bit of cuff in this photo.


A lot has been written about Tony Blair's contribution to the decline of the British clothing industry. By global leader standards he's not terrible (on the right in the photo), but I don't understand why no-one on Savile Row has convinced him to switch from ready to wear suits so he could get rid of the roll of cloth behind his neck when he's seated. His trousers and his coat sleeves could stand to be shorter, he should save his black slip-ons for his off duty hours, and for god's sake get rid of the jacket with five buttons on the sleeve.


Posterity will remember George W. Bush for a number of things, among the the least of them the black boots with the presidential seal that he wore in the photo with a dinner jacket. He's usually respectably done up in suits but his evening clothes argue for addition by subtraction.



Nicholas Sarkozy's clothes (left) seem to suit him a bit better than the others we've seen so far. He pays homage to the French gabardine tradition with a two piece that's a lighter gray than is customarily seen on politicians of any nationality. And his shoes have tassels! That's fairly radical politics for a conservative.




I like most of what I see from Shinzo Abe. He seems representative of the many Japanese men that have paid more attention to Western dress traditions than their peers from the countries that originated it. That said, the photo is of his well turned out predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi.

Italy's Romano Prodi honors his country's clothing industry with suits that actually appear to fit him, in subdued patterns that add a bit of interest compared to the sea of navy blue that will surround him at the G8 meeting at Heiligendamm this week. And the pale blue shirt is a better idea than politician white.



Finally, Angela Merkel of Germany (center, in blue). Jackets and trousers done reasonably well but in this daytime photo she'd have done better to choose a pair in charcoal rather than black. Hillary Clinton, please take note.