Macron, Chirac, Mitterrand… what the style of our presidents hides

“ It is difficult for a president to escape from this pattern as the codes are anchored in custom: it is difficult to imagine the French president without his suit and tie uniform ,” confirms Sophie Lemahieu. “ Changes in the men's wardrobe are often slow, and this is even more the case in the political world .”

3. EXTERNAL INFLUENCES

Christian Delporte, historian specializing in the political and cultural history of 20th century France, however, highlights a recent development , particularly under the impetus of external influences. He thus advances a “ kind of Americanization and Anglicization of the style ” of Emmanuel Macron – which is particularly noticeable on his cover for Time magazine.

“ During meetings, he doesn't hesitate to drop his jacket, take off his tie and roll up his sleeves ,” he explains to us. “ There’s really this symbolism of rolling up your sleeves to get to work – like Tony Blair in the 90s or Barack Obama .”

SYMBOLS… AND IMPONDERABLES

1. THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS

Behind each outfit, the tenant of the Elysée must adapt to a situation, a context, and the message he must transmit. It is therefore no coincidence that many symbols, more or less obvious or discreet, are hidden in the presidential dress code.

Through his clothing, the politician elected to the highest offices of the State, or who claims to be, can emphasize the qualities that he considers essential for this position like no other: authority , expertise, seriousness, reliability… and for some, virility.

For example, the simple addition of an honorary decoration on the lapel of a jacket discreetly allows you to report a success, and why not give yourself an extra dose of credibility .

• THE COSTUME AND ITS ACCESSORIES

If the costume embodies the Republic, as we have already mentioned above, “ there is also a military side ” underlines Christian Delporte. One of the first official portraits of General Charles de Gaulle is of course an example of this: he wears his official army costume . His epaulettes give him stature, while his insignia, the Legion of Horror plaque and a collar of the Order of the Liberation, are powerful symbols of the Republic. Enough to reinforce the impression of grandeur and convey an image of power, both supposedly lost during the Third and then the Fourth Republic.

• THE TIE

It's hard to imagine that such a small piece of fabric could generate so much anticipation . Especially since, technically, today's tie is... absolutely useless! Which does not prevent him from being essential to any good self-respecting president. While until the 19th century, it was used to hold the collar of your shirt, continuing to wear it is now an aesthetic need or a professional obligation. This constraint is anything but trivial, and presidents are no exception.

“ The tie represents the fact of holding a certain rank, of being the guarantor of a tradition, of knowing the conventions ”, lists Sophie Mahieu. “ It is not comfortable, which makes its wearing all the more symbolically important: it is a sign of power, of great solemnity .”

It also calls for a certain maintenance of the body and the head, and also brings a notion of dignity to those who wear it.

“ It constitutes a sort of standardization of appearances, and contributes to the construction of a posture adjusted to the political function ,” explains François Hourmant, professor of political science (University of Angers), specialist in political representations, in the “Moi Président-e” podcast from Ouest France .

Yannick Jadot, himself a candidate for the supreme office this year, recently broke with an old environmentalist tradition, by starting to wear a tie again, something his counterparts had never done before him. In fact, it is as if the accessory was deemed necessary to become presidential.

•THE CHOICE OF BRANDS AND DESIGNERS

In recent years, the price of presidential outfits has also become a political and controversial issue . If it is not necessarily obvious to the untrained eye to recognize the label on a suit, it may be in the interest of the wearer to let people know where it comes from. The idea? Respect the presidential office, while ensuring not to be too far from citizens.

“ It is no coincidence that Emmanuel Macron stages the storytelling of his locker room by going to a small house rue d'Aboukir to buy suits at rather reasonable prices ”, underlines François Hourmant, who highlights a “ cloakroom modesty intended to make one forget his past in the Rothschild bank ”.

Conversely, François Fillon's taste for expensive clothing cost him dearly in 2017. While he was presented as the favorite in the presidential election, the former right-wing Prime Minister was splashed by the breakdown of the affair of his family's fictitious jobs at the National Assembly, but also by the gifts which had been offered to him: suits from the tailor Arnys , for a whopping 48,500 euros. If this anecdote alone does not explain the decline he suffered before the first round, it significantly contributed to damaging his image.

Elected officials, including those at the top of the state, can also make the origin of their clothes known when they are in line with their current policies . “ What can be important today is to advocate the consumption of 'local' products: clothes made in France, from French brands. It’s a way of showcasing your country’s textile industry ,” explains Sophie Lemahieu.

In the event of an economic crisis, some people emphasize the modesty of their clothes : François Hollande communicated in particular that his suits were not made-to-measure, thus implying that they were not too expensive. Before him, Nicolas Sarkozy wore Prada and Dior.

“ The presidents are, from this point of view, on a crest: you have to be chic without being pretentious, you have to be classy without being expensive, you have to be a leader without being an arrogant and too distant leader ,” analyzes Bruno Cautres. “ The French would not understand if their president dressed too cheaply, but they would not forgive very expensive and luxury clothes. After all, it is their taxes that pay for the lifestyle of the Elysée .”

CLOTHES TO SEDUCE, OTHERS TO CONVINCE

1. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FIRST IMPRESSION

The habit does not make the monk… but it can make the chosen one of tomorrow. “ Of course, we don’t decide to vote for the best dressed ,” says Sophie Lemahieu. “ Nevertheless, we are all sensitive to the appearance of others: it is our first benchmark for identifying a person and making an initial judgment (which can then change). It is therefore important for a president to wear clothes that show voters that he is capable of representing them best, with accuracy and dignity .”

When he ran as a candidate in the 2011 socialist primary, François Hollande gave himself a little makeover . With his refined silhouette and his revisited style, the former first secretary of the PS had thus made a remarkable entry into the race for the Elysée. With the success we are experiencing.

2. AN INCREASINGLY CONTROLLED IMAGE

In an increasingly connected and documented world, the representatives of the people spare no effort to control their image. “ They’ve been paying attention for a while. For example, Nicolas Sarkozy always had poorly constructed suits, too loose, with pleats… ” recalls Christian Delporte. “ His communications advisor dressed him up. More fitted suits, from major brands, arrived… ”.

Sophie Lemahieu agrees: “ The multiplication of images in the media implies permanent attention to one's appearance. On the one hand, you must be impeccable on all professional occasions, and on the other hand, you must be able to show a certain relaxation for other occasions which will also be filmed and photographed: informal trips, vacations .”

“ The impact of television and social networks is of course major ,” confirms Bruno Cautres. “ Our presidents therefore continue to have to monitor their appearance even outside of places of power. This illustrates the famous theory of the 'two bodies' of the King by the historian Kantorowicz: the body of the human being who exercises the supreme function no longer belongs to him and even on his deathbed and afterwards, he is still in his costume King's. The advent of a continuous information society has made it impossible for the president to relax in his clothing style, and we see that even long after leaving power, the former head of state continues to mark his difference from the ordinary citizen that he has nevertheless become again ”.

AND WHEN THE PRESIDENT DROPS THE TIE?

1. FROM “NORMAL” PRESIDENT TO “CASUAL” PRESIDENT

Can we say that the most powerful man in France is a person like everyone else ? The debate raged when François Hollande presented himself as the “normal president”. However, the head of state does not fall asleep in his suit and tie! He is free, on the other hand, to appear during his “off” moments, on vacation or doing sports between two meetings.

“ There will be the official speech, during which the president is in a suit and tie ,” recalls Christian Delporte. “ And when he wants to show how much more relaxed he can be, and when he is part of a communications plan, he will show up in a polo shirt on a bike, surrounded by his family… ”.

The specialist specifies: “ In fact there are two things: the embodied presidential function, which requires this suit and tie, and then the version 'I'm like everyone else, I have a family, I play sports, I I have children, I go to the beach… and because there we wouldn’t understand the suit and tie, so we have a chic and casual outfit .”

There remain the unforeseen events. Jacques Chirac, then on vacation in Fort de Brégançon, had been photographed with the simplest camera by a young paparazzi from the Sygma agency, for Paris Match... Photos which would never be published by the famous weekly.

2. STICK TO REALITY, MODERNIZE…

For its look in everyday life, here too, nothing (or almost) is left to chance. If the president can count on his communications advisor to focus on an effective and impactful silhouette, he also sometimes turns to a member of his family to gather unofficial opinions that will help him modernize his image, or go to more sympathetic to citizens.

“ When Chirac wore jeans, Claude, his daughter, had a lot to do with it. The idea was to rejuvenate his image and break with the rigid image he might have in public opinion ,” says Christian Delporte.

For historian Sophie Lemahieu, a public appearance in casual business attire helps “ show that we are not outside the realities experienced by the population on a daily basis ”. It also allows voters to identify with the president. “He then seems to dress 'like us', and no longer put on the costume linked to his role as president,” she believes.

Extreme case : Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky who, in times of war in his country, adopts the colors and practical clothing associated with the military world. “ In this specific situation, the suit and tie would seem out of reality ,” observes Sophie Lemahieu.

CAN A PRESIDENT CARRY EVERYTHING?

1. DIPLOMATIC CONSTRAINTS AND PUBLIC PERCEPTION

Even a President of the Republic cannot escape the sirens of the fashion police. And in the age of social networks, a look that is not unanimous can very quickly turn into a communications team's worst nightmare : a bad buzz.

François Hollande paid the price during an official trip to Kazakhstan in 2014. A photo, which had escaped the control of the Elysée press service, made the rounds on Twitter and the media. We see the head of state in a fur coat, wearing a chapka. Gifts from the country's president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, which caused Hollande to be heavily mocked.

“ His problem is that he was often the subject of jokes which called into question his appearance ,” recalls François Hourmant in the podcast Moi, Président-e . “ In this case, the ridicule is perceived from home in France, but this is a reflection of the diplomatic constraints linked to the presidential role. There is a locker room diplomacy here that is difficult to escape .”

The specialist notes “ a dissonance linked to an unforeseen event , which refers to the constraints of the role ”. If the cliché is surprising, it is because it highlights the gap between the constant desire to want to keep control over his image as president, and the reality of the context. Here, pose with a gift that has just been given to him, as a show of respect for his host.

2. POLEMICS AND CONTROVERSIES

If the previous example was rather funny, other stylistic choices have, in the past, caused real controversy. This is notably the case of Nicolas Sarkozy in May 2007, when he had just been elected. The day after he took power, the latter pic.twitter.com/eDoSfu7BK3

" As Martine goes to the farm, Manu plays the pilot ", analyze with irony, in Challenges , Dominique and François Gaulme, authors of the book "The Habits of Power. A political history of men's clothing". “ There is a very childish side, the childish omnipotence of little Macron who dresses as he wants because he is the leader (...) These are also clothes that exalt virility. It smells of testosterone in full force ”.

More recently, in the middle of the war between Ukraine and Russia, Emmanuel Macron appeared in a black sweatshirt, looking worried, in a series of photos shared on social networks.

A scenario mocked on Twitter and deciphered by the international media: the tenant of the Elysée was notably accused of clumsily “copying” the Ukrainian president. Others harshly judged the fact that he wore an Air Paratrooper Commando No. 10 (CPA 10) sweatshirt. He, the first French president not to have done his military service.