Louise’s D.C. Dictum

The Countess believes our new president has what it takes to be commander in chic.

March 2009

The U.S. has a new, good-looking, different president. At last! And when I spotted him on the beach in Hawaii through the telephoto lens, I thought, Hot-cha-cha! That body! My heart raced.

But those Bermuda bathing trunks? Oh, please! Monsieur le Président, you need something peppier than that.

Of course, it really isn’t my place, as a plump (but pleasantly so) Austrian countess, to criticize any world leader. But please, let’s do something about those dreary Democrats—and, indeed, Republicans. Everyone is wearing funereal solid-colored suits with sad-sack silk ties and white shirts. How absolutely boring!

With all that’s going on in the world, I suppose some might consider it proper to dress that way. But a leader’s appearance can lift the spirits. And that’s why the new president needs a touch of chic. He’s got everything going for him—the looks, the bod—so why does he have to dress like all the other gray politicians who look like old, unshined apples?

While delivering his speech on his economic plan, he seemed to be getting the hint with a jazzier necktie—although one that was still gray. There’s nothing like a colorful tie to add oomph.

We want America’s president to look better than Nicolas Sarkozy of France, Silvio Berlusconi of Italy or even Vladimir Putin of Russia. And he should definitely look chicer than former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who always had a necktie like a bib hanging out of his suit jacket, or current Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who looks like a bear just emerged from hibernation. Sarkozy, meanwhile, bounces around so quickly that I haven’t been able to track him as much lately, but I assume his beautiful first lady, Carla Bruni, has already zipped him up in the latest looks.

So how should Monsieur le Président—which for some reason sounds better to me than Mr. President or President Barack or even President Obama—pep things up? Well, let’s start with the fit of his suits. While there’s nothing wrong with going American with Hart Schaffner Marx, Coco Chanel is turning over in her grave at the construction of the shoulders. And when Obama lovingly embraces his female Cabinet appointees, the suit jackets hitch up.

If he can look superelegant in a bathing suit, why can’t he look even better in a real one? It’s great that he’s gone for the more modern two-button jacket, but it should be tapered to show off his lean physique. And why not double vents? After all, he’s got the figure for it. And let’s drop the double pleats perfect for George Bush—and I mean the older one. Go with flat-front trousers, obviously without cuffs. As for color, why not gray flannel with a pale blue oxford shirt in Egyptian cotton, a blue knit tie from Charvet in Paris and brown, not black, shoes? Or perhaps a tweed suit?

Comments

Post a Comment
Subscribe to Wmagazine.com
Give the Gift of Wmagazine.com

W Newsletter

Sign up to receive the latest on fashion, art and style delivered to your email inbox.

Inside Wmagazine.com

From a castle in the Dolomites to a modernist masterpiece in Malibu, revisit some of the most spectacular homes featured in W.

A look inside the elite Iranian Jewish community of Beverly Hills. (July 2009)

Christopher Buckley pens a bittersweet memoir of his celebrated but formidable mom and dad. (May 2005)

As the gatekeepers of Harvard-Westlake and Center for Early Education, Tom and Deedie Hudnut inspire awe and fear. (June 2009)

Skunk-streaked society figure continues her transformation from muse to designer with her new fragrance for Comme des Garçons. (March 2009)
The Countess's Corner

W's resident aristocrat, the acid-tongued Countess Louise J Estherhazy, spares nobody. Read her columns here.

After lying low during her much-gossiped about divorce, the couture-loving LA hostess is back. (Dec 2008)

The philanthropist and art-world icon's newly redesigned Park Avenue abode gives new meaning to the term "art house." (Jan 2009)

A member of the Guinness family by birth and marriage, the Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava presides over Clandeboye, an astounding 2,000-acre estate in Northern Ireland. (Feb 2009)

W Blogs

Subscribe to Wmagazine.com

W Newsletter

Sign up to receive the latest on fashion, art and style delivered to your email inbox.

Christy Turlington Burns

Champion

One good classic deserves another. Christy Turlington Burns works the warrior-goddess side of Greco-Roman influence. Photographed by Michael Thompson.

W Blogs

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie

Domestic Bliss

The Steven Klein shoot that started it all: Mr. and Mrs. Smith costars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie play house in Palm Springs. (July 2005)