Barak Obama and his blue jeans!
Reported in The Telegraph
Headlines
Barack Obama’s jeans VS Gordon Brown’s chinos - which is the winner?
Obama socks it to us in blue jeans, but Brown fails to work the classic chino look.
There seems to be a pattern developing in the Obama marriage. Michelle has been widely lauded once again — this time for her new haircut. Meanwhile, her husband, the 44th President of the United States, was pilloried across the Internet for what has been dubbed his “Mom jeans”.Obama was throwing the first pitch at a baseball game in St Louis, and wore a pair of faded and baggy Levi’s blue jeans. Asked to defend his jeans recently, Obama said, “I’m a little frumpy. I hate to shop; those jeans are comfortable. For those of you who want your president to look great in his tight jeans, I’m sorry. I’m not the guy.”
Thank the Lord for that. I think Obama’s blue jeans are great. In suits, he looks so svelte and boyish it’s easy to forget he’s approaching his fifties. If he once had slender hips, he’s inevitably got sturdier. He can’t wear skinny jeans. He is wise to avoid anything overtly fashionable. The Levi’s that he wears are perfectly boring — and that is a great compliment.
Obama is actually at the vanguard of a blue jean revolution which is about to hit menswear. Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush, wore jeans like an old man wanting to get back into a suit; Obama wears jeans because that’s just what he does. There are men in their thirties and forties, like Obama, who have matured with the denim revolution of the 1990s. Back then, the addiction was for expensive Japanese denim and jeans that were dry-clean only from brands like Evisu and APC. Since the millenium, labels such as Diesel have been purposefully dirtying their denim and introducing new cuts, from wide to ultra-skinny. In the process, jeans have become an obsession.
Just because these men are ageing doesn’t mean they have to give up their jeans habit. But what they have to do is adapt their jeans as their bodies go through the inevitable slackenings. Treatments and washes should be avoided, with more focus on the subtleties of cut and the flattering inkiness of the blue dye. Fortysomethings in jeans will no longer look like they’re trying to be young.
If middle-aged men in jeans turn your stomach, you’d better get used to it. Blue jeans on older men are here to stay.
Denim diktats
Perennially thin men, like Kate Moss’s boyfriend Jamie Hince, are the only ones that can get away with skinny jeans. ( But don’t forget about the tingle factor - Read about skinny jeans and what can happen if you wear them all the time.)
Men with a defined body but more bulk, like Daniel Craig, should wear straight-leg jeans —close-fitting but not too tight. (Such as the brilliant Schultz jeans Blouberg narrow cut jeans in dark denim - which fit superbly.)
Baggier jeans with a low waist work for younger men like David Beckham, who want a casual look that shows off their body. Crossroads jeans and Cobra jeans fit this bill brilliantly and are a superb fit.
For men like David Cameron, who want to hide their body, a roomy cut is best with high waist. - sorry David !!!!!
Barack Obama’s denim misstep is nothing compared to the position Gordon Brown finds himself in. A man who makes no claim to style whatsoever, Brown seems uncomfortable even with the sort of clothes that should be his salvation. And so comes the depressing annual holiday press call, where he fails miserably to appear relaxed with the aid of a pair of chinos.
To give the Prime Minister his due, this year’s stiff outfit isn’t as bad as last summer’s, where he made the mistake of wearing a navy chino and a beige jacket. That combination, in particular the dark chinos, made him look like he wished he was still in the office, which is probably close to the truth.
This summer, Gordon Brown seems to have realised that on holiday, he should at least look like he’s off-duty. His pale chinos, white shirt and navy blazer would never be worn stepping out of No 10. But the way he wore his chinos yesterday betrays another message. They are high-waisted, and the dark belt that holds them in place destroys any sense of relaxation and lightness. He has still not let go. It is no accident that he was photographed not relaxing on a beach, but making a visit to an ecology centre in his constituency. For him, this holiday is still work.
The uncomfortableness of Mr Brown’s chinos is thrown into even starker relief when compared to the current crop of fashionable chinos being worn by men across the land. These chinos are seen as a viable denim alternative — a trend begun by the understated style of Swedish label Acne and the mass-utilitarianism of Japanese brand Uniqlo. These brands cut their chino as if they were a jean, and often without a pleat, giving the once-fusty cloth a 21st-century appeal. The cotton cloth of the chino still has its rugged, practical appeal, managing to appear respectable while also being hard-wearing. But the new cuts, now found all over the high street, make the chino a viable modern option once more.
These new chinos are in the wardrobes of men who know how to enjoy themselves, and look good while doing so. Which only serves to widen the gulf between Gordon Brown and the electorate, with whom he is so desperate to connect. It’s a tough call, trying to be both Prime Minister and man of the people. But it’s a call that Gordon Brown has tried to answer, and which he once again fails.
;)