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.

Dressing Democratic

Democratic Presidential candidates have a a richer history of sartorial acumen than the Republicans. FDR was a beautifully dressed man. He was followed by former haberdasher Harry Truman, and then, after the Republican interregnum, we were led by John F. Kennedy. Kennedy set a style standard for the White House that hasn't been equalled since (if I wanted to be depressed I could go find some old video of Jimmy Carter addressing the nation in a sweater. In a sweater!).

Just look at JFK. Pin stripes, polka dots and a white pocket square. Further, I would bet there are discreet gold cuff links under his jacket sleeves, and bespoke oxfords on his feet.

Contrast JFK with John Edwards, whose official web site is full of 'man of the people' photos. Call me cynical, and I am, but I have a hard time taking wrinkled chinos and scuffed shoes seriously when they're worn by a man with a $400 haircut that flew in on a private jet. And, when he is wearing a suit, his necktie seems perpetually to sit a quarter inch too low.

Joe Biden does business casual the right way, substituting a blazer and gray trousers for the navy suit in his official portrait. Of course, he needs a pocket square.


Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, will hopefully soon begin taking wardrobe lessons from Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives, who usually looks statesperson-like in her Armani suits. Clinton, on the other hand, is frequently photographed in jewel-toned blouses and badly fitting pastel pants suits. I've only chosen the photograph above to be kind.

When I began this exercise, I fully expected Barack Obama to be the cream of the Democratic crop, based on a series of photos I'd seen of the distinguished Senator wearing what appeared to be well-cut suits and discreet solid colored neckties. A bit of investigation established that he tends to wear shirts that were made for a man with a much larger neck, and that lowered his score considerably. Here he is looking professional speaking to a small group in Evanston, Illinois.

Next we'll consider the best dressed candidate from each of the two major parties.

Dressing to be President

As I write this, a dozen or so men and at least one woman are working just about every waking hour to become the next President of the United States of America. Now I know that how they dress will not be the defining factor of their campaigns. There have in fact been but a couple of twentieth century American Presidents with more than a mediocre sense of dress, proving that dress does not a President make. A recently seen turndown shirt collar worn with white tie is but one of a list of sartorial transgressions committed by at least three of the current and former Presidents in the photograph. But Presidential candidates are forced to conform to certain clothing expectations in order to compete.

As Robin Givhan, fashion editor of the Washington Post, wrote, "The rules are different in politics. Campaigns are filled with an endless series of symbols and metaphors all meant to evoke common ground. Politicians: They're just like us! Even though they are not." Over the course of several essays I will attempt to report on how well some of them succeed.

This is a blog about men's dress but Hillary Clinton will be one of the candidates considered. I don't believe we can hold a candidate's sex against her, particularly since the current mode of Washington political dress is a jacket and trousers irrespective of the sex of the wearer. The John Edwards "I Feel Pretty" video on YouTube shows us that some formerly feminine wiles have crossed the sexual aisle, so welcome Hillary.

The coming series will have two primaries and an election. We'll select the best Republican in one essay, the best Democrat in another, and then choose as winner the person least likely to wear a parka, snow boots and a ski hat to represent his country at a ceremony to honor the dead at Auswitch as Vice President Cheney chose to do this past March. Fortunately for our sense of propriety, he's not running.