20 Oct Political style: tailoring to vote for
British politicians aren’t traditionally known for their style, but in the run up to the general election, a few are sharpening up
I’ll leave it to weightier minds than mine to hone in on minutiae about percentages and tax breaks; the rumbling debate around the general election has also kicked up a conversation about British politicians and their style sensibility. The flabby, flopping double-breasted suits of John Major and (albeit slightly charming) dishevelment of Michael Foot are no more. Today’s politicians know the fine detail of their pinstripes and pocket squares almost as acutely as they’re aware of their BMI (that’ll be the Matt Roberts training sessions that the PM undergoes). And while I’d never suggest that a politician should be judged by the cut of his lapel, that our leading men are smartening up their act during the election is a visual indicator to the nation that they mean business.
But the path of suiting harmony rarely runs smoothly, as George Osborne’s budget-announcing attire last week proved. The chancellor, who’s undergone a style evolution at the hands of special advisor Thea Rogers and has a predilection for crisp, sharp Timothy Everest menswear, donned a suit that met derision on Twitter (the new Mr Blackwell’s List) for its curiously stumped lapel, elongated frame and cropped trousers. But overall, Osborne’s style nous has upped its ante, with neat tailored pieces as severe as his austerity cuts.
Ed Miliband has also stepped up his game, going from fairly unnoticeable single breasted suits to pieces with substance and a sense of solidity. Miliband relies on Savile Row heavyweights Ozwald Boateng (who secretes vibrant colour in the lining of his suits) and Richard James, who coincidentally caused Cameron no end of trouble when it was discovered that the Prime Minister was cutting a dash in his £2k and upwards bespoke suits while implementing austerity measures.
And while Ghosts of Fashion Past might linger on Cameron’s Chipping Norton attire of landed gentry tweeds (hardly on point when you’re eager to win over the proletariat) and embarrassing faff at Guildhall in 2012 when his liveried dress shirt popped open and revealed his torso, Samantha Cameron, who apparently picks all his clothes, has spring cleaned his wardrobe. Cameron’s roster of bespoke Richard James and Gieves & Hawkes suits, as well as ones by 70-year-old tailor Geoffrey Golding, lend him the weight and standing a PM needs.
And for anyone who might cast an eye over their classic single-breasted and see a standard, perhaps bland, menswear afterthought, Osborne, Miliband and Camerons’ suiting works because of what it omits. The cuts are generally sleek, the proportions sharp, the buttons minimal (double-breasted is a tricky beast, and who wants a leader prone to material excess?) and pattern kept to a minimum. I’m all for a handsome Prince of Wales check but a leader might not want to draw stylistic comparisons with the raffish Duke of Windsor in the run up to election.
With British men more attuned than ever to the codes of tailor (note the rise of Suit Supply, the chain that customises off-the-peg suiting for men from upwards of £150), it’s appropriate that our politicians are lending a touch of polish to proceedings. And it also serves as a reminder of some basic tenets to take with you when looking for your next suiting investment buy cheap levitra online.
