Dress shoes just don’t cut it in mud

No one is wearing expensive designer brands

Politicians from all levels of government have converged on Southern Alberta, surveying flood damage and sending a consistent message: They’re here to help, and they’re dressed appropriately.

As New Jersey governor Chris Christie and U.S. president Barack Obama did in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi and Premier Alison Redford have all dressed down for their tours of flood damage. Even Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, a Calgary MP, abandoned his heretofore ubiquitous business suit.

One Canadian image consultant defines the apparent disaster dress code, rain slickers and hiking boots, as “polished active wear.”

“This is a critical part of crisis management,” says Zayna Mosam, a Toronto-based image consultant and strategist who has worked with Canadian politicians and business leaders for more than a decade.

“In a lot of cases when a politician wakes up, getting dressed is a complicated thing,” she said. But this brand of public appearance is a no-brainer for the image consultant.

Many of the politicians in Calgary wore vibrant colours, Ms. Mosam observed, as a way to avoid looking “too sombre.”

On the prime minister’s Friday visit to the Calgaryarea flood zone, which included a helicopter tour and an evening press conference, Mr. Harper wore a green military jacket over a checkered button-up shirt with black slacks — almost the same outfit he donned two years ago at a western Manitoba flood zone.

The Prime Minister’s Office said Mr. Harper’s go-to jacket was a gift from the Canadian military, which he wears as “a tribute to the military assisting the people in difficult times.”

Mr. Kenney sported a blue Columbia jacket with a light blue button-up.

“Notice how no one is wearing expensive designer brands,” said Ms. Mosam. “We want the public figure to be the focus of attention, and not their attire.”

A spokesperson for Alberta Premier Alison Redford said wardrobe “certainly isn’t her No. 1 priority.”

Ms. Redford wore a light windbreaker, black turtleneck and khaki pants during the press conference with the prime minister.

“We’re driving through a flood zone right now,” said Ms. Redford’s spokesperson, Neala Barton, on Monday from Canmore, Alta. “We’re going to get out of the car and we don’t know what we’re getting into. She wants to be ready for anything.”

French President François Hollande made to what North American eyes look like an embarrassing image misstep during his own visit to a flooded zone in southwestern France: he toured the recently submerged village of Saint-Beat wearing a crisp suit and tie and dress shoes.

Photographers captured im-

ages of the president’s shiny, muddy shoes while he stood among emergency workers and muddy townspeople.

This can be nightmare scenario for a politician, said Christina Logothetis, an image consultant based out of Washington, D.C., who has worked with candidates for statewide office.

“It makes him not look competent to help mitigate the disaster,” she said. “We all know that heads of state don’t walk around their offices wearing hiking boots but that’s what he needed in this scenario.”

Two politicians who did dress appropriately for disaster were Messrs. Obama and Christie, who wore windbreakers and practical shoes during their time in the area devastated by Sandy.

“It’s important for these politicians to project an image in those instances of getting their hands dirty and help,” she said.

Joyce Newman, an image consultant based out of New york City, said the president and governor would have seemed inauthentic and “ridiculous” if they wore suits, as Mr. Hollande did.

“A suit and tie acts as a barrier,” she said. “you don’t dress up for a disaster.”