Obama's Visit to the UK - fit critique!

Testudo_Aubreii · May 26, 2011

Originally Posted by aravenel

effectively, a president (or other high-ranking elected official) has to dress somewhat sloppily lest he offend his constituents.

I don't think Ronald Reagan ever dressed sloppily while president; not when there was the slightest chance of a camera around. Even when he wore his fake cowboy gear, it was never sloppily put together. Harry Truman wouldn't have been caught dead in a sloppy ensemble. Even Nixon rarely dressed sloppily while President; the infamous beach photo is one of the rare exceptions.

Maybe by "sloppily" you just meant "not as elegantly as was socially acceptable at the time." In that case, I agree. I do agree that Reagan and Nixon did not always dress as elegantly as they might have. But Manton and many others have frequently (and IMO correctly) said that Reagan, while president, was almost always well-turned-out.

nelly · May 26, 2011

Originally Posted by wmb

Kate looks great, wow

Her pre-wedding weight loss has upped her to a new level. Angelina Jolie like frame without the timeless face. I give her a 8.5.

JapanAlex01 · May 26, 2011

Kate's not that sexy, imo. :/ Maybe a nice figure, is all? (Her sister is hotter!) Yeah, Obama's trousers are

but the cut of his lapels (or is it the fabric?) is really nice, imo! William looked good. Yeah, Charles wins, though only just (although, he did button his second button? :S)! And no offence, cos I know it comes with age, but the Queen and Philip look like the walking dead! :S

Testudo_Aubreii · May 26, 2011

I'd say Kate looks dangerously thin in that photo. Look at the biceps and the calves. Not good.

JapanAlex01 · May 26, 2011

Originally Posted by Testudo_Aubreii

I'd say Kate looks dangerously thin in that photo. Look at the biceps and the calves. Not good.

Nah, I used to be a raw foodist, and I have seen thinner! It's when they look gaunt/ill you should worry!

nelly · May 26, 2011

The thing is, it's not entirely appropriate to bash Obama on the fit of the suit. From a political standpoint, he has to wear less fashion forward suits with looser fits. If he came out in a slim fit bespoke suit, he would be criticized for:
1) spending too much money on suits and not empathizing with struggling Americans
2) spending too much time focused on fashion and not fiscal policy, international relationships, etc.
3) being an elitist or "too urban"

Philip1978 · May 26, 2011

Originally Posted by JapanAlex01

And no offence, cos I know it comes with age, but the Queen and Philip look like the walking dead! :S

They are 85 and 89........................

nelly · May 26, 2011

Originally Posted by Testudo_Aubreii

I'd say Kate looks dangerously thin in that photo. Look at the biceps and the calves. Not good.

If it's between that or Fergie, I take Kate 100% of the time.

aravenel · May 26, 2011

Originally Posted by Testudo_Aubreii

I don't think Ronald Reagan ever dressed sloppily while president; not when there was the slightest chance of a camera around. Even when he wore his fake cowboy gear, it was never sloppily put together. Harry Truman wouldn't have been caught dead in a sloppy ensemble. Even Nixon rarely dressed sloppily while President; the infamous beach photo is one of the rare exceptions.

Maybe by "sloppily" you just meant "not as elegantly as was socially acceptable at the time." In that case, I agree. I do agree that Reagan and Nixon did not always dress as elegantly as they might have. But Manton and many others have frequently (and IMO correctly) said that Reagan, while president, was almost always well-turned-out.

True, but "sloppily", I did in fact mean more "not as elegantly turned out." Reagan did dress very well, but that was also 30 years ago, and given that "dressed up" now means simply wearing a shirt with a collar and that even many lawyers and bankers don't wear suits everyday anymore, combined with an always-on news cycle, if he looks like he puts too much effort into his dress, it looks bad.

Not that he was ever a fantastic dresser from what I can tell, simply that there's risk to high-level elected officials dressing too well. It's quite unfortunate.

JapanAlex01 · May 26, 2011

Originally Posted by nelly

The thing is, it's not entirely appropriate to bash Obama on the fit of the suit. From a political standpoint, he has to wear less fashion forward suits with looser fits. If he came out in a slim fit bespoke suit, he would be criticized for:
1) spending too much money on suits and not empathizing with struggling Americans
2) spending too much time focused on fashion and not fiscal policy, international relationships, etc.
3) being an elitist or "too urban"

I understand that, but all he had to do was take an inch off, at least?!

ChicagoMediaMan · May 26, 2011

Originally Posted by JapanAlex01

Kate's not that sexy, imo. :/ Maybe a nice figure, is all? (Her sister is hotter!)

Really? I would take Kate over Pippa anyday.

And whoever said this was such an AAAC poast is spot on.

jeff13007 · May 26, 2011

in the book "Bespoke" by james sherwood, ozwald boateng has sketches of a while tie outfit he made of obama for his visit to Kenya, i wonder if that ever materialized

Testudo_Aubreii · May 26, 2011

Originally Posted by nelly

The thing is, it's not entirely appropriate to bash Obama on the fit of the suit. From a political standpoint, he has to wear less fashion forward suits with looser fits. If he came out in a slim fit bespoke suit,

I wasn't criticizing Obama for not wearing slim-fit fashion-foward suits. Heaven forfend! I was criticizing him mildly for wearing a dress suit that doesn't fit very well. Slim-fit is about the silhouette the suit presents: how it would look on the man it's designed for. Fit is about how those clothes look on the guy who's wearing them. Prince Charles's DB suit on the first page is anything but slim-fit and fashion-forward. Yet it fits very well: better than B. Obama's lounge suit, and far better than O's dress suit. Likewise, Prince Philip's dress suit fits him much better than Barack O's does Barack O.

Fashion forward slim-fit is one thing (silhouette), proper fit is quite another (fit). Do a search for "Drape cut" to see photos of drapey, baggy suits that fit quite well.

nelly · May 26, 2011

Originally Posted by Testudo_Aubreii

I wasn't criticizing Obama for not wearing slim-fit fashion-foward suits. Heaven forfend! I was criticizing him mildly for wearing a dress suit that doesn't fit very well. Slim-fit is about the silhouette the suit presents: how it would look on the man it's designed for. Fit is about how those clothes look on the guy who's wearing them. Prince Charles's DB suit on the first page is anything but slim-fit and fashion-forward. Yet it fits very well: better than B. Obama's lounge suit, and far better than O's dress suit. Likewise, Prince Philip's dress suit fits him much better than Barack O's does Barack O.

Fashion forward slim-fit is one thing (silhouette), proper fit is quite another (fit). Do a search for "Drape cut" to see photos of drapey, baggy suits that fit quite well.

Listen, all I'm saying is that it is extremely unlikely that the President of the United States of America (someone who's every word, gesture and facial expression is scrutinized) doesn't have a tailor who knows what they're doing. It's far more likely that his image control team has decided this is the appropriate look for his administration/campaign.

Obama's not trying to be a JFK style icon banging Marilyn Monroe in the back room.

nelly · May 26, 2011

Also, Obama probably has less time to go in for fittings vs. a useless do-nothing figurehead.

Obama's Visit to the UK - fit critique!

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