The Pope is Esquires “Best Dressed Man of 2013”
By Hannah James on Friday, January 3, 2014
When thinking of previous winners of Esquires “Best Dressed Man” title i.e. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bradley Cooper, you aren’t inclined to rate Pope Francis among the same standards. The men’s lifestyle magazine itself admitted the “unconventional” winner, but clearly it’s showing the ‘future’ and appreciation of the style of the Catholic Church.
“His mode of dressing really does reflect the mindset behind it,” Mark-Evan Blackman, assistant professor of menswear design at the Fashion Institute of Technology told Esquires of Pope Francis. “I remember when John Paul II was buried in those opulent bright red shoes. When the current pope was elected and chose not to wear the red shoes I thought that was very reflective of his approach to being a person functioning in a role.”
Pope Francis is certainly more accessible than his predecessors, what with his tweets and selfies showing his thoughts of the 21st century social style, and the magazine itself stating it’s ‘signaled a new era (and for many, renewed hope) for the Catholic Church’. I guess the Pope can now add ‘style icon’ to his résumé.
So will this mean that the likes of Bradley Cooper, or Chris Pine’s sartorial choosing for the red carpet, will be fur-lined capes and lavish jewellery?
Who knows. What it does mean though is that Esquires has certainly made sure people are aware of them in the magazine industry.