WANT TO SPOT THE TOP-TIER ATTENDEES? CHECK OUT THEIR SHOES
When 2,600 of the globe’s most powerful political, business and financial leaders convene in Davos to ponder the current world order they’ll come equipped with ideals, agendas – and high-performance snow gear.
That’s because the World Economic Forum, cerebral though its remit may be, takes place in a Swiss winter wonderland.
The snowdrifts and gales mean that far from typical Ceowear, Davos attendees have to find a way to bring E-suite dignity to the types of clothes more often seen on their snowboardingmad millennial offspring. Fur-lined parkas, snow boots and ski goggles are de rigueur for trooping around the grounds – and they’d better be smart snow boots, given that a selfie opportunity with Matt Damon could be right over the next snowbank.
In fact, there’s almost an inverse relationship between appearance and station at the WEF – the man wearing a parka that looks borrowed from his teenager could be the CEO of a Ftsetopping company. It’s enough to make anyone who hazards a go at walking outside in a suit, overcoat and dress shoes appear foolish.
Which is why Amal Clooney and Sheryl Sandberg have drawn some sneery comments for the form-fitting dresses and high heels they’ve worn for Davos events.
What critics fail to appreciate is that the WEF requires two wardrobes: practical gear for outside, and headof-state attire for anyone on a dais at the indoor events, where the bank of cameras is of greater concern than the weather.
Anyway, Sandberg and Clooney have clocked on to something critical: the real power signifiers at Davos aren’t the colourcoded badges attendees wear to gain access to the panels and parties, but the shoes. With chauffeur access highly restricted at the forum site, only the top tier of attendees can get away with wearing anything other than the most robust, non-slip snow boots between events. A Tod’s driving loafer, then, or even some of Clooney and Sandberg’s beloved pin-thin stilettos, suggest that one is above the weather – and the crowd.