Politicians

[storeynicholas]

Morning dress is correctly worn with black punched captoe oxfords. No wingtips here

Thank you, Costi. I am relieved beyond words .

Frog in Suit

PS: More seriously, I would be interested in the identity of the three men standing with Chamberlain.

The 2 on the left look as though they are German diplomats (neither is von Ribbentrop, who accompanied Chamberlain during the Munich visit) and the fellow on the right is probably either a British official or a Minister. More importantly, FiS - see the ticket pocket on the DB suit!
NJS

[marcelo]

Because they are not dictators. Some dictators did have an accurate sense for style. See the article "Dictatorial style", by Taki, published in The Spectator (Thursday, 25th January 2007):

http://www.spectator.co.uk/the-magazine ... tyle.thtml

With my previous posts in, I would add that what a pity that dressing properly is somehow villainised these days. I thought I had heard it all, but its demonisation as undemocratic is a new one to me.

There is surely a difference between dressing and gaudy self-glorification in the way Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself while draped in pompous display?

The interesting point in the article from The Spectator, it seems to me, is not the association of properly dressing with undemocratic values, but the realization that, freed from the constraints which are imposed on most modern politicians by image-makers, some dictators did succeed in dressing well. I think the – beautiful – pictures posted in this thread thus far stem from a time when politicians – I mean those truly committed to democratic values – did not have to rely on the advice of pollsters. Ronald Regan seems to have been the last American president seen with a pocket square. The challenge would be to amass an equal amount of pictures showing more recent politicians proving to possess a similar sense of style.



Willie Brown, as e.g. Nicholas Antongiavanni has noticed, may well constitute a sort of exception.

[storeynicholas]

Because they are not dictators. Some dictators did have an accurate sense for style. See the article "Dictatorial style", by Taki, published in The Spectator (Thursday, 25th January 2007):

http://www.spectator.co.uk/the-magazine ... tyle.thtml

With my previous posts in, I would add that what a pity that dressing properly is somehow villainised these days. I thought I had heard it all, but its demonisation as undemocratic is a new one to me.

There is surely a difference between dressing and gaudy self-glorification in the way Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself while draped in pompous display?

The interesting point in the article from The Spectator, it seems to me, is not the association of properly dressing with undemocratic values, but the realization that, freed from the constraints which are imposed on most modern politicians by image-makers, some dictators did succeed in dressing well. I think the – beautiful – pictures posted in this thread thus far stem from a time when politicians – I mean those truly committed to democratic values – did not have to rely on the advice of pollsters. Ronald Regan seems to have been the last American president seen with a pocket square. The challenge would be to amass an equal amount of pictures showing more recent politicians proving to possess a similar sense of style.



Willie Brown, as e.g. Nicholas Antongiavanni has noticed, may well constitute a sort of exception.

maybe tracing these changes around the globe over the last 100 years (or even more) might make an interesting project for the Retrocentric Club? - as long as it were clearly understood who was doing each country selected.
NJS

[Frog in Suit]

Morning dress is correctly worn with black punched captoe oxfords. No wingtips here

Thank you, Costi. I am relieved beyond words .

Frog in Suit

PS: More seriously, I would be interested in the identity of the three men standing with Chamberlain.

The 2 on the left look as though they are German diplomats (neither is von Ribbentrop, who accompanied Chamberlain during the Munich visit) and the fellow on the right is probably either a British official or a Minister. More importantly, FiS - see the ticket pocket on the DB suit!
NJS

Could the man in the middle be RAB Butler? I am sure I am wrong. I do not (I wish multiple underlinings were possible) like ticket pockets on DB suit coats. (I once had a DB suit coat with slanted pockets -- no ticket pocket -- and still consider it a major mistake). Could the man on the left be a British (Labour?) politician? He looks familiar (but what do I know?). Wonderfully heavy cloth weight, though....

How can you tell who is what? Cut, fit, what else?

Frog in Suit

[garu]

More seriously, I would be interested in the identity of the three men standing with Chamberlain.

Clearly, on the right is Joseph Kennedy, Sr, American Ambassador to the Court of St. James'. As we know, next to Kennedy is the Boneless Wonder himself. On the left is Lord Halifax.

I don't want to have all the fun, so I will leave the remaining chap for someone else to identify.

garu

[garu]

My apologies... Not the Boneless Wonder, but The Mortician...

garu

[garu]

Hint: he's a Yank (and fortified)...

[garu]

(sigh...) Very well...

The fellow next to Halifax is Sumner Welles, FDR's "special envoy."

So, from left to right: Halifax, Welles, Chamberlain, Kennedy.

Proof, once and for all (if proof was ever needed), that the elegance in a politician's dress is rarely matched in their politics.

garu

[Will]

It's certainly interesting that Benjamin Disraeli and Winston Churchill were considered quite the dandy in their youths.

]

The first two photos are the Right Honourable Anthony Eden, a man who was better dressed than either, in my opinion.

[Frog in Suit]

(sigh...) Very well...

The fellow next to Halifax is Sumner Welles, FDR's "special envoy."

So, from left to right: Halifax, Welles, Chamberlain, Kennedy.

Proof, once and for all (if proof was ever needed), that the elegance in a politician's dress is rarely matched in their politics.

garu

Many thanks for the information.

Frog in Suit

[marcelo]

I have just read the fifth chapter of Willie L. Brown’s autobiography Basic Brown: My Life and Our Times. The chapter is entitled “The Power of Clothes: Don’t Pull a Dukakis” and contains his views on the main theme of this thread, viz. politicians and dress. He complains about the lack of sartorial gout among many contemporary politicians. There are also some really interesting remarks on further topics which have recently been featured in other threads, such as hats (“Even hats are necessary. They complete the look – and given the fact that most men no longer don hats, they make you stand out.” p. 36), and black suits (“… a funeral. Make it a blue or dark gray suit, not a black suit even though that might seem like an appropriate choice. The reason is this: it’s hard to find a good-quality black suit that doesn’t make you look like an undertaker or a bishop.” p. 40).

[Costi]

given the fact that most men no longer don hats, they make you stand out.” p. 36)

I like this point of view: THEY make you stand out!

[alden]

"A simple rule of chic says that if no one is doing it then it must be a good thing to do..."

M Alden

[Frog in Suit]

"A simple rule of chic says that if no one is doing it then it must be a good thing to do..."

M Alden

Isn't that rather dangerous, if applied without discrimination? Imagine the horrors that could result !

Frog in Suit

[alden]

Isn't that rather dangerous, if applied without discrimination? Imagine the horrors that could result

Yes, I thought about this Macduff model but it just doesn’t work well today. Macduff liked it so much he took the head off the model along with the hat.

In the LL we choose our chic carefully.

Cheers

M Alden