Do Donald Trump's "style mistakes" conceal a strategy?
Almost all subjects have given rise to debates about Donald Trump during this year when he has been considered sometimes as “the savior of America”, sometimes as “a dangerous demagogue”. Everything except his style, of course. Loose Trump outfits, often unbuttoned and accessorized with overly long ties, are considered ugly by everyone. We've heard everything about Donald Trump except maybe he knows how to dress well.
The first person I spoke with about Trump's style responded with a giggle, "What style ?!" ". Another opted for a more verbose response: "His style is horrible and his clothes are not fitted at all." But as a rule, his long ties attract criticism. A men's tie should normally graze the top of his belt buckle, but D. Trump seems to break this rule regularly. Business Insider has called Trump's ties "one of the worst possible styling mistakes". Comedian Patton Oswalt compared his look to that of a "drunk limo driver" on Twitter following the second presidential debate (ouch!). GQ recently published what initially sounded like a positive article on "Trump's style lessons" but it was in fact a parody. The article used D. Trump's ties to indicate how not to dress.
Most people think of D. Trump as a man who just has no idea what to do when it comes to choosing clothes, breaking the basic rules of masculine style out of sheer ignorance. However, others believe that a strategy might in fact be at the origin of the style of the president-elect.
"Let things be clear, style errors do not exist during a presidential race," said David Yi, editor of the site specializing in beauty and men's care Very Good Light. “Everything is planned in a methodical way, from the size of the lapels to the color of the tie. D. Trump's oversized, ill-fitting jacket is obviously voluntary. He wants to look bigger than life ”.
Another interesting theory mentions the, say "non-traditional" proportions of D. Trump that would attempt to distract our attention from his body size. (We've known from his appearance on the Dr. Oz show that Trump's BMI of 29.5 allows him to land in the "overweight" category, a few pounds close to the "obese" category). David Yi points out that D. Trump frequently wears slimming black tones and that his oversized suits "make his shoulders look more muscular while hiding his overweight body."
A heated debate on Quora evokes a similar theory: "the exaggerated padding and cut of the epaulets" of Trump's jackets would be intentional and intended to conceal D. V shape generally associated with men of power. Trump's ties would thus be longer to balance the oversized proportions of his jacket.
But not everyone is necessarily convinced by Trump's stylistic mistakes supposedly fooling us. “D. Trump's chunky square suits and oversized ties don't show off his body and make him appear bigger,” says male styling expert Matthew Simko. But Mr. Simko also thinks his style craziness isn't accidental:
"Voters of D. Trump wouldn't appreciate a neat dude in a tight-fitting, crisp suit," Mr. Simko said. "The followers of D. Trump don't want the man in charge to be fashionable or cosmopolitan."
The style of D. Trump is indeed very different from that of President B. Obama, probably the best dressed man in this post since John Kennedy. Obama's slim body and well-tailored navy blue suits give him a sleek, urban look. But the millions of Americans who just voted for D. Trump are more likely to identify with a flashy guy in a suit that looks like it came straight out of a ready-made store. wear, even though the costume in question is a bespoke Brioni that costs $ 6,000 (approx. € 5,600).
After all, Trump is a man who won the most important post in America through controversial statements. The election has since been concluded with an outcome that none of the mainstream media had really seen coming, forcing the country to realize that D. Trump was elected precisely because of the offensive statements that got him mocked by traditional media, and not in spite of them.
D. Trump's style can also be linked to a strategic desire to break the rules. By making fun of Trump's style, a masculine bible like GQ helps consolidate his role as an outsider and grow his base of “average guys” who don't really care about good taste or fashion… D's supporters Trump "are looking for a man who looks like them and that's exactly what they got, even though Trump is a billionaire," Simko said.
Yi also points out that Trump's suits are designed by Brioni, "the most classic brand of all perfectly capable of creating an impeccably tailored suit." But we also know that D. Trump gets what he wants and what he wants is a look that allows him to fool the world ”. The United States chose this man to represent the country's right-wing movement, and so populism now looks like a billionaire in an ill-fitting Brioni suit.
