Why Trump’s suit is not fit

Trump is not the only politician guilty of wearing ill-fitting suits - across the world, the political elite dress terribly. But why?

Is it deliberate, or do politicians just have bad taste? With their sartorial advisors and ample funds, surely they could make the effort to see a tailor?

Well the reason is actually three-fold:

Firstly, politicians all want to appear relatable - they avoid looking too slick or flashy so as not to alienate working class voters who can't afford a £5,000 suit.

During last year's election campaign, Hillary Clinton was blasted for wearing a $12,000 (£9,600) Armani jacket and Theresa May sparked outrage for wearing a pair of £995 leather trousers.

Secondly, the demands of holding office mean politicians' weights often fluctuate - it's a stressful job, and just like the rest of us, stress can result in periods of binge eating followed by not eating.

If your weight's changing all the time, there's no way you could be constantly in a perfectly-fitting suit, according to Washington DC-based political consultant Josh Nanberg.

And the third reason is that because politicians spend their days going from meetings to lunches to events, their suits get rumpled quickly.

Most of us working in professions that require suits probably spend the majority of the day sitting at a desk with our jacket nicely hung-up, but not politicians. And of course, their outfits are scrutinised wherever they go (particularly if they happen to be female).

So it's probably only partially deliberate that Trump's suits are horrendous - he could undoubtedly get himself some better clothes without spending the average citizen's annual income.

Barack Obama, for example, always wore suits that fit him well, despite his admission that he didn't want to make decisions about what he wore "because I have too many other decisions to make."

"You want the voter to be concentrated not on what you're wearing, but what you're trying to communicate," Jason Levin from LA-based communications company Cerrell Associates told Mel Magazine.

Trump may be unlikely to change his policies any time soon, but he could at least upgrade his wardrobe.

Source: Independent