From lace to cowboy boots, fashion rocks the White House

For years, presidents and presidential candidates have placed their sartorial stamp on politics and the White House. Let’s take a look at the trends some of them have embraced and started. I’ll even show you how to duplicate the look.

The first president to take on a chic look would have to be Thomas Jefferson (1801-09).
Our nation’s third president mostly valued casual comfort while strolling around the presidential house. Anthony Merry, the British ambassador to Washington, even wrote in his memoirs how Jefferson was known to wear a “coat and underclothes indicative of utter slovenliness and indifference to appearances.”

What made Jefferson chic, though, was when he embraced popular tailoring, lace and embroidery of the time. He would occasionally sport lace and brocaded silk coats to go along with jabots, which are lacy trimmings around the neck (see Sandra Day O’Connor).

Abraham Lincoln (1861-65) routinely displayed the classic style of a gentleman, wearing Brooks Brothers suits and vests. He also played a part in popularizing the bow tie. On the day of his assassination, Lincoln wore a slim, tailored black Brook Brothers suit. And on the coat’s silk lining is an embroidered inscription, “America, One Country, One Destiny.”

Dwight Eisenhower (1953-61) made his fashion contribution during his term as the Supreme Allied Commander in World War II. While serving, he wore a three-button, waist-length military jacket cut to fit his slim frame. This style came to be known, and is still known, as the Eisenhower jacket.

The award for leading trendsetter when it comes to presidents has to go to John F. Kennedy (1961-63). In the 1950s and ’60s the three-button suit was very popular, but the boxy suits made men look wide and unshapely.

Many men strived to mimic the two-button suits that Kennedy handsomely made so popular. Designer and author of “Style and the Man” Alan Flusser called Kennedy “the last stylishly dressed president.”

Kennedy, at times, sported polka dot ties and handkerchiefs to add a little flair to his suits. The two-button suit is, by far, the most popular in today’s time.

If cowboy is your style, then you would have loved Lyndon B. Johnson. His cowboy boots and hats and Western-wear suits helped bring out his hard-ass image. Although he did wear the traditional presidential uniform with a pocket square, I wouldn’t label him chic. But he did bring something different.

In looking at today’s presidential candidates, both John McCain and Barack Obama have showed promise in the fashion department.

McCain tends to wear broader suits and wider ties, which can be seen as a bad thing because he stands only 5’7”. But McCain has, at times, all but nailed the “preppy president” look on the campaign trail. He is at his best when layering a well pressed collared shirt with a tie, and a sweater vest to go over it. He tops everything off with a blazer and flat-front trousers. As winter roles in, you will surely see this outfit copied.

As for Obama, his slim, well-tailored suits have become a fixture on the campaign trail. The suits accentuate his slender, 6’3” frame and make him look very distinguished. He has, for the most part, perfected the tie dimple, which is a huge plus in the gentleman-chic department. When Obama doesn’t wear a tie, he utilizes a stiff collar that demonstrates a sense of formality.

You can pull off the presidential look by sporting a dark, tailored suit with a finished suit coat that falls at your crotch line (I know your crotch doesn’t have a line, but if it did, the suit coat would fall there). A suit too long in length will look boxy and short, and you’ll look like you’re captaining a ship.

Go for a small pocket square and a broad tie that says “power.” I’d try a Donald Trump tie. They make a statement, and they don’t cost a fortune.