THE ART OF PRESIDENTIAL FASHION
Is Joe Biden polling ahead in the style stakes? Stephen Doig casts his vote
The US election campaigns are heating up, with the Democratic National Convention this week and a fanfare around Joe Biden’s running mate Kamala Harris. It’s perhaps to be expected that there’s been a focus on her fashion sense, but Biden is no slacker in the sartorial department.
The presidential hopeful – who showed unity with Harris by opting for matching blue suits – relies on welltailored, appropriately serious suits in black and navy. His trim 6ft frame also helps him look dynamic and powerful, even as one of the oldest would-be presidents at 77. It also helps that he’s apparently had a hair transplant.
The art of presidential style is the subject of entire fashion Swat teams inside the White House; when the average man might opt for a sunny yellow tie of a morning, there are people whose entire job it is to pre-empt what might be seen as hidden messages in every pocket square, cufflink and shirt collar. Barack Obama almost caused Fox News to melt down when he wore a tan suit for a briefing, but he’s one of the presidents who unerringly got it right – sleek, everyman suiting from the likes of J Crew and Brooks Brothers, and an off-duty of pristine polo shirts, chambray shirts and classic chinos.
His opposite number – in so many ways, but certainly in the style department – is Donald Trump, who despite a lifetime in the upper echelons of the luxury world, seems to struggle with tailoring. He is rumoured to rely on Brioni, one of Italy’s most exceptional suiting brands, but his suits are strangely baggy and billowing, all adding – reinforced by his golf course mien – to an oddly languid appearance.
Of course, it’s a hard act to follow when you’re walking in the well-heeled footsteps of JFK, the very embodiment of preppy wholesomeness (even if his private life didn’t quite match the image). Kennedy managed to strike that hard-to-master balance of looking sharp whether grappling with the Soviets or sailing off the coast of Nantucket. His professional wardrobe consisted of neatly tailored suits – nothing groundbreaking there – but he marked himself out as a thoroughly modern president by “breaking” the suit; wearing a polished suit jacket with white trousers, for example, or opting for proletariat grey instead of more sombre black or navy.
His off-duty wardrobe also helped cement him in the public eye as a vigorous go-getter; polo shirts, chinos and boat shoes pitch-perfect for an afternoon off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. JFK was one of the US’S youngest presidents, and Biden would be its oldest, so it’s vital he keep to clothes that show him as together and on-the-go – neat silhouettes and suits with strong shoulders and nipped-in waists will help. Likewise, he’ll need to opt for democratic US brands, especially as the country plunges into mass unemployment. It’s a battle, Biden says, for the soul of a nation, and his wardrobe will be his armour.