(Men and Women Go Crazy for) A Sharp-Dressed Man
By Mick Farren
Barack Obama does not need to sport a patriotic flag pin. The lack of it or otherwise has nothing to do with the Democratic contender’s devotion to America. Obama simply has an advanced appreciation of elegance and stylistic cool unequalled since Jack and Bobby Kennedy too briefly held power, and a red, white, and blue enamel totem affixed to the right lapel of one of Obama’s perfect suits has simply looked gauche on the occasions that he’s bowed to the pressure and worn one.
Research would indicate that the whole business of the flag lapel pin started with Richard Nixon, and that alone might be enough to rest my case right here. The psychology behind Tricky Dick’s need for a visible demonstration of his love of country is probably well buried in the complex conflict of his insecurity and megalomania, now mercifully deceased.
Unfortunately, it was Nixon who established what has become the near-mandatory uniform of the American politician – the fully buttoned, single breasted, less-than-comfortable-looking dark blue or gray suit, the white shirt and the black lace-up Oxfords. The tightly knotted tie and some minimal accessories like the aforementioned flag pin is Washington’s only concession to any kind of individualism. We have come a long way from the New Deal and Franklin Roosevelt’s flowing capes and effetely held cigarette holder. Today’s power brokers don’t even dare wear black. That would be too Johnny Cash.
The males among our current senators and congressmen have made themselves unwitting confirmation of comedian Eddie Izzard’s highly accurate maxim that “Seventy percent of what people react to is how you look; 20 percent is how you sound; and only 10 percent is what you say.” And the impression the majority of office holders unknowingly create is of a drab mediocrity, an easily corrupt conformist. Bill Clinton, with his solid-color satin ties, and the occasional matching non-white shirt, introduced a modicum of flexibility to White House style, but Bill was too prone to show up at public events bearing a slight but noticeable resemblance to Tony Soprano dressed to intimidate – perhaps an unconscious reflection of the philandering, power-at-any-price facet of the Clinton character.
George Bush, of course, as the overgrown fortunate son, has no style at all and, while still opting by default for the formal two-piece, really likes to play dress-up, as with the infamous “Mission Accomplished” flight suit, the unearned bomber jackets, and the faux-cowboy outfits complete with rodeo belt buckle and pre-faded and absurdly pressed jeans.
In comparison with most of the above, Barack Obama is little short of a revolutionary. While aware that, as a senator, he needs suits, he refuses to concede that his suits must resemble ideological straitjackets. From the moment I first saw him, making his spellbinding speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, his threads had such a sheen I wondered if he was retro-consciously copying Miles Davis in his Kind of Blue period, before Miles turned to dashikis and his late-model Afro-centric look. Obama also hangs loose. He will wear his jacket shamelessly unbuttoned, he will pull down his tie and undo the top button of his shirt. On a warm day, he’ll work in his shirtsleeves. Again, I have to judge if this is deliberate borrowing, this time from Camelot and the Kennedy brothers, stripped down for action during the Cuban Missile Crisis, or the integration confrontation in Little Rock.
The media pundits have dubbed Barack Obama an elitist, but, in reality, Obama is a dandy; pundits miss this because they tend to forget Izzard’s Maxim. While they listen to the man, they don’t look. The question also remains as to whether the sweats ’n’ sneaker-wearing section of the electorate could warm to a president who would probably opt for French cuffs if he thought he could get away with them. Twice they elected a leader they imagined was a barroom pseudo-beer buddy. Would a president who can not only form coherent sentences but also cultivates an easy sophistication in his clothing be such a bad thing?
Mick Farren blogs at Doc40.blogspot.com.
Published: 05/28/2008
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