In the locker room of French presidents

Have you ever paid attention to how a president dresses? Have you noticed his suit, his tie or his shoes? As we told you in our article on presidential style , the dress code of a head of state may seem anecdotal. But yet, it plays a crucial role in its communication.

In this new video, we decipher the style of the eight heads of state of the French Fifth Republic. Between tradition, missteps and sartorial elegance.

1 - CHARLES DE GAULLE

Charles De Gaulle, always dressed to the nines, wore outfits designed to reinforce the impression of grandeur and convey an image of power – notions supposedly lost during the Third and Fourth Republics. On his official portrait, we find in particular his official army costume, as well as insignia. Among them, the Legion of Honor plaque and a necklace of the Order of the Liberation (both of which are powerful symbols of the Republic ). For his public appearances, De Gaulle sported dark suits, light shirts and dark ties.

2 - GEORGES POMPIDOU

Georges Pompidou's style will delight fans of vintage , as it is imbued with the trends of the late 1960s and early 70s. This president notably had a pronounced taste for patterned ties, beautiful prints and even the little golden cufflinks. In everyday life, Pompidou dared to use bold colors, with looks mixing white and lemon yellow, for example.

3 - VALERY GISCARD D’ESTAING

Valery Giscard d'Estaing was much more classic than his predecessor, with straight gray or taupe suits, with two or three buttons that he combined with a white shirt. His own little touch was to enhance his jacket with a pocket square. , also white, folded in the pocket. Regarding ties, this president liked them plain and dark, but he also dared to wear more colorful models with small patterns.

4 - FRANÇOIS MITTERRAND

Once he came to power, François Mitterrand finally decided to leave behind his poorly tailored suits and began to be dressed by the famous Parisian tailor Cifonelli , who gave him a more beautiful appearance and a better build . His lack of appetite for style and fashion in general was evident especially when he left the suit and tie uniform in his free time. On the program, embroidered sweater a little too long and a little too big, corduroy pants not very well cut...

5 - JACQUES CHIRAC

Jacques Chirac wore his pants very, VERY high waisted . His suits were quite large, gray, taupe or midnight blue. A monotony that he broke with ties from Hermès, Charvet or the Marinella house. Said ties were colored, but also patterned. In everyday life, Chirac cultivated his good nature and his sympathetic side (in particular to free himself from the harsh image that some may have attached to him). Advised by his daughter, Claude, who helped him quite a bit to rejuvenate his image, he therefore increased the number of more "relaxed" appearances, in sweatshirts and jeans for example, but also with very casual but chic outfits , in a white polo shirt. Lacoste and moccasins.

6 - NICOLAS SARKOZY

Nicolas Sarkozy was dressed by Prada at the start of his mandate then by Dior, two large luxury houses with rather slim silhouettes. Paradoxically, Sarkozy has often been criticized for wearing suits that are too big for him. The president cultivated a rather sober style - his suits were most often midnight blue or black. He accompanied them with white or sky blue shirts. As for shoes, his preference was for the Tods brand.

7 - FRANCIS HOLLANDE

François Hollande, whose appearance was quite criticized before he came to power (because of his ill-fitting jackets and pants, among other things), underwent a total makeover when he took the post of President of the Republic. On the program, new glasses, but also better-tailored suits that he wore in navy blue, black or gray . Hollande also communicated that his suits were not made-to-measure, thus implying that they were not too expensive. Only problem: he often gets caught for his crooked tie .

8 - EMMANUEL MACRON

We end with Emmanuel Macron, very faithful to the slim cut and the blue color. The current President of the Republic buys his suits in a small house on rue d'Aboukir in Paris, Jonas & Compagnie, renowned for its rather reasonable prices . The Head of State particularly appreciates straight two-button jackets, the lapel of which he adorns with the rosette of the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor, narrow pants and navy blue ties that are thinner than the norm (we are talking about there 6.5 centimeters instead of 7 centimeters wide).