John F. Kennedy's Fashion Sense - Best Dressed President JFK

Best Dressed President of All Time: John F. Kennedy

Anyone who pays attention to politics knows that appearance is far more important than many people realize when it comes to succeeding with a campaign. After all, campaigning is all about trying to get as much of the public as possible to be on-board with one’s ideas, and no one is going to put their faith in someone that has no clue how to dress themselves each morning. As a result, some of the most well-dressed men in the public sphere over the past century found themselves working in the oval office. Former president John F. Kennedy certainly finds himself on the list of best-dressed presidents of all time, and put a great deal of effort into his appearance during the time of his presidency. The following are just a few aspects of John F Kennedy’s look that truly put him above and beyond other presidents in terms of how he dressed.

Slim-Cut Suits
Take a look at many of the presidents of years passed, and you’re likely to notice that a good deal of them wore boxy suits that didn’t exactly flatter their figure. John F. Kennedy took what many people would refer to as the exact opposite approach, however, by embracing slim-cut suits designed by Brooks Brothers. Kennedy’s Brooks Brothers suits helped to define his look, and were so popular at the time that the company redesigned the cut and released it in 2007 as The Fitzgerald. Youthful, yet elegant and sophisticated, these suits typically featured notched lapels and were either black or charcoal in color. It’s safe to say that if Kennedy had worn suits of any other kind, he would’ve given off a much different sense of energy.

The “Presidential Folded” Pocket Square
If there was one accessory that JFK chose to wear almost daily, then it was the crisp white pocket square that was neatly tugged into his breast pocket. JFK preferred the elegant look of the “flat” fold over any other. He made it so popular that this fold is commonly also referred to as the “presidential fold”. Click here to read how to fold a pocket square with the presidential fold.

Skinny Ties
Slim ties were indeed a popular fashion accessory during the time of JFK’s presidency, but not everyone know how to wear them correctly. JFK certainly did know how to wear these trendy ties. A perfect accessory for his slim fit, narrow lapel suits, JFK made the skinny tie the perfect accessory – a fact that gives us yet another reason to call JFK the best dressed president of all time.

Suit Colors
When researching the style of recent US presidents, you will see the midnight blue or charcoal suit almost exclusively being worn. When taking a look at JFK’s suit choices however, you will find a much wider array of color. JFK has been known to wear suits in brown, tan, blue, navy, charcoal, and gray. What we applaud most about it, is how pulls them off. Regardless of the suit color chosen, his look is professional, elegant, and classy.

JFK Casual
While John F. Kennedy certainly put a great deal of time and effort the formal look that came to define him, it’s no secret that he had a penchant for dressing casually when he wasn’t in the middle of dealing with situations in The White House. The “JFK Casual” look is somewhat collegiate in appearance; think cotton sweaters, khaki chinos and Wayfarer sunglasses. Kennedy had plenty of press photos taken of him in similar ensembles, which many people believe helped to ground the president in the eyes of the media and caused him to appear more like the “everyman” of the time. While ensembles such as these are certainly in stark contrast when compared with Kennedy’s formal look, they can both be effective when worn in the right situations.

Takeaways for the Modern Man
There are a variety of things for modern men to take away from how JFK approached fashion and style. The president was perhaps ahead of his time when it comes to the slim-cut suits he chose to wear, which are preferred by most fashion-forward men of today over boxy cuts. You can also get a lot of mileage out of amping up your casual attire by taking the same approach that JFK did; preppy sweaters, khaki chinos and boat shoes are perfect for a late-summer day at the beach. So long as you choose your ensemble elements carefully, you’re unlikely to run into problems with either of these looks.

Your Ties-Necktie.com Team