Political blog Politico has a great post on the fashion sense of the nations capital. D.C. is not exactly the first place that comes to mind when one thinks fashion city. We already know about Dubya’s fashion sense.
The fashion rules are more to blend in than stand out. “Garrett, 30, also agreed that people on the Hill tend to follow the rules, which place a premium on fitting in. ‘Here, where there is always someone watching — sometimes the best thing to do is fly under the radar and go with the flow,’ said Garrett.” Brooks Brothers suits still rules the day more than Rag and Bone suits (though probably not the Black Fleece collection). And apparently pleated pants are rage.
But writer Helena Andrews discovers that there are a few camps when it comes to dress. generally Democrats are more hip and stylish than their Republican counterparts . One commenter remarked: “I was just in DC on business and found the style I saw on the streets laughable. You can almost always pick out the Democrats from the Republicans. Bottom line: Dems dress better than Reps. I’m an Independent who works for a mostly Rep filled organization. Anytime someone confuses me for a Dem I am flattered…I dress well…it makes sense.”
Also it tends to be the younger guys who are more stylish. Krishnan Subramanian, 32, is a tech architect working with the Senate says, “There’s a lot of young people working [on the Hill]. They’re a lot more into fashion than someone in their 40s”. The piece also notes that, “his colleague Rick Bowman, 26, said he hasn’t sported pleated pants since the 1990s.”
The last point makes sense ans follows the broader trend of younger guys dressing up more and placing a higher emphasis on shopping and style than the older counterparts.
However even as some members of the Washington set become hip to the trends the city is still miles apart from the international fashion scene.
GQ:Washington Style Is Now Style [Politico]
