Why Donald Trump Loves to Wear Clothes That Don’t Fit Him

February 22, 2017

As the recent viral video from GQ perfectly illustrates, Donald Trump is in serious need of a makeover.

Trump is often seen wearing oversized coats and pants. His neckties are also often made fun of for being extra wide and long. Does the Donald really have terrible style or is it a deliberate attempt to make the billionaire relatable now that he is a politician?

“He is trying to fit the mold of dressing like a politician, we’re not seeing that expertly tailored suave look and his suiting is sometimes oversized,” Washington DC-based stylist Lauren A Rothman told BBC last year. “Trump is choosing to dress like a politician rather than a Wall Street financier and that helps him win support.”

Rothman, who also authored “Style Bible: What To Wear To Work”, believes that a politician’s fashion style is all part of visual messaging.

“There are some politicians who thrive on looking like ‘what a politician looks like’,” Rothman added. “Think of the classic Capitol Hill politician in wire-rim glasses, oversized clothing and a mustard stain on the jacket; never assume politicians are badly dressed because they have no idea what they’re doing.”

Observers also note that Trump may be channeling the Reagan years with his mid-1980s, baggy trousers look. The era is often fondly remembered by Republicans as America’s “good old days”. Wearing his boxy blue suits also retains his business leader image even with the occasional red “MAGA” hat in place of his excessively long tie.

For University of Texas communication professor Barry Brummett, the idea is to simply not look too flashy as to alienate the majority of the voting public: the working class. Brummett told Mel Magazine that you “have to show that people from all classes … can identify with you. You can’t go on wearing overalls, but you also can’t be too flashy.”

Trump, being the businessman that he is, probably fully understands how important image is, especially in his new line of work.

In fact, his seemingly unkempt hair and ridiculously orange complexion may be part of his Trump brand and he intends to keep it as it is an identity that may have endeared him to some of his voters. The idea of getting him to dress like Barack Obama, who always wore fitted suits, may not be appealing for Trump, who’s riding on an image of being anti-establishment.

So, it is best to conclude that even with GQ’s (hilarious) attempt of making him look presidential, Trump will likely stick to his style, which, by the way, fits him just fine.

Feature Image via Flickr / Gage Skidmore (CC BY-SA 2.0)

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