Worst Dressed American President: Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton is the Worst Dressed President in US Presidential History

A lot of people who follow democratic presidencies will say that Bill Clinton actually did a fantastic job while he was in office. While it is rather arguable as to how effective Bill Clinton was at doing his job, there’s no getting around the fact that he failed to excel when it came to his fashion and style. Indeed, Clinton is perhaps one of the worst-dressed presidents of all time, and his look did little to push him in the right direction. With all the problems and controversy associated with Clinton’s presidency, perhaps he would’ve been held in a better light if he had taken the time to truly take his appearance to the right level. The following are just a few reasons why Clinton’s appearance simply didn’t make any connections, and how you can avoid them for the future.



Gaudy Ties
There’s nothing more obvious than a poor choice in ties. The fact is, poorly chosen can not only take just about any ensemble down a few notches, but have the chance of standing out well after one leaves the presidency when worn on a regular basis. Clinton chose some of the worst ties that one could ever decide to wear, with a penchant for those which exhibited candy stripes; think explicit reds and large horizontal cream stripes.

There was one tie however that did not fit his usual tie collection. It was a golden and navy patterned tie by Zegna that no other but Monica Lewinsky gave him in August 2006. This tie (pictured left), is by many considered to be the most famous necktie in politics to this date.





Un-flattering Colors
Simply do a search on Google images for “Clinton Fashion” or “Bill Clinton Style” and you will find dozens of images of him wearing brightly colored dress shirts and ties. Two images in particular stand out. In the first one, he is wearing a dark navy suit and bright red dress shirt – a color that simply does not compliment his color profile. It makes him took pale and fragile – something that the US President certainly should not appear to be. The second image (shown above) is of him with U2’s Bono. Clinton is wearing a dark suit jacket, washed jeans, salmon-pink dress shirt, and a bright blue necktie – a clashing combination that should have never been seen by the public eye.

Overly-Wide Lapels
Choosing the suit that is right for your figure can be easier said than done; anyone who has ever set out to work with a tailor to try and find the perfect match can attest to this. This being said, it doesn’t have to be hard to avoid those which simply don’t work for you, although Clinton must not have put enough stock in this during his presidency. Instead, he chose those which featured lapels that were so wide that they were practically laughable at times. This is especially true of the light gray suits that he wore, which helped to make the wide lapels even more obvious and unattractive. In an age where slim-fitting suits are almost always preferred, these wide lapels stood out as being terrible out of place.

Takeaways for the Modern Man
There are a variety of things to consider (and avoid) re: Bill Clinton’s appearance. For one, you should do your best to ensure that the lapels on your suit jackets are far more slim than those which he often wore; modern suits tend to be slim in cut, and wide lapels simply have no place in the modern fashion landscape. Take care in the ties you choose as well, as those which are overly bold and loud are not likely to do you any favors. Instead, choose those which are solid in color (or lightly patterned) and will provide a nice contrast between the other pieces you wear.

Other Poorly Dressed Politicians:
The Five Worst Ties in Congress
Worst Dressed: Paul Ryan

Your Ties-Necktie.com Team