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Conservatives gathered at the Republican convention this week to officially nominate former President Donald Trump as the GOP’s presidential nominee and witness the announcement of his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance — who certainly dressed for the part.
But the conference wasn’t just about politics. It was also something of a fashion show.
Party leaders and up-and-comers turned up to Milwaukee in their very best — or, in some cases, their absolute worst. From stunt-worthy wristwear to belts seemingly sourced from expired seafood, here are the highs and lows that stood out to me at the convention as a menswear critic.
Donald Trump Jr. Didn’t Even Get the Basics Right
For his big speech at the RNC, Donald Trump Jr. dressed a bit like his father with his dark navy suit, white semi-spread collar shirt and shiny, bright red tie. But he got a critical element wrong: pairing oxblood-colored shoes with an alligator belt in the color of shrimp tempura. In traditional men’s tailoring, the color of your belt should always match your shoes. Otherwise, your belt becomes a distracting line that drags the viewer’s eye downward and cuts your body in half. I’ve never seen Junior in light-colored tailoring, so he has no need for a tan belt (which would require tan shoes); he should get an oxblood belt to match his loafers. Junior, if you’re reading this, check out this video from The Armoury to brush up on these basics.
Glenn Youngkin Hit Them With a Subtle Flex
Business suits typically call for dress watches, often on a leather strap in a color to match the wearer’s shoes. But Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin went in a different direction this week, with what looked to be a Timex Ironman Classic 30. He’s not the first politician to wear a chunky sports watch with tailored attire. President Bill Clinton famously wore a Timex Ironman Triathlon 8 Lap to his 1993 inauguration and throughout his presidency. But Youngkin is probably drawing less from the Democratic side of the aisle and more from his personal history. Prior to entering politics, he served as a managing director and later co-CEO of the Carlyle Group. During his tenure, deep-pocketed finance types often wore digital sports watches, partly as a form of reverse snobbery and partly to subtly signal their active lifestyles. At those tiers of wealth, it’s often time and fitness, not money, that differentiates you from others. Whether you think bulky digital watches go with dark worsted business suits is a matter of taste, but in certain elite circles, it’s certainly a flex. Youngkin pulled it off.
Michael Waltz Should Sell His Watch and Pay a Tailor
While Youngkin got away with wearing a chunky sports watch, Florida Rep. Michael Waltz should probably reconsider his timepiece. He wore a Rolex GMT-Master II, which is colloquially known as the Rolex Batman because of its distinctive black and blue bezel. On the market today, that timepiece goes for about $15,000. Wearing a steel sports watch with a business suit is already of questionable taste, but when your suit jacket’s collar keeps hovering off your neck, one wonders if you shouldn’t reallocate some of that money toward a tailor.
Mike Johnson and Marco Rubio Nearly Tied for Sharpness
Speaker Mike Johnson is among the better-dressed members of the Republican Party. His tailoring fits and flatters with proportions that are sensibly middle-of-the-road: lapels that hit roughly halfway from his collar to his shoulder joint, a jacket length that covers his seat, and trousers that are neither too skinny nor too full. Plus, his Ivy-styled P3 glasses suit his face. During this year’s RNC, he edged out Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who — like many other Trump supporters nowadays — dressed like the former president in his navy suits and signature red ties. (Oddly enough, Rep. Byron Donalds appeared to wear the same self-stripe tie on stage). But Johnson looked a little better than Rubio because of his blue suit decorated with a subtle check; patterned fabrics are an easy way to make the conservative business dress a little more interesting. That said, Rubio scores a point for wearing lapels that look like they’ve been finished with a hand-executed pick stitch, which suggests his tailoring is either high-end ready-to-wear or possibly bespoke.
GOP Women Came to Slay
While I’m a menswear writer and try to stay in my lane, there were a few stylish women at this week’s convention whose outfits caught my eye. Sue Chilton, wife of Arizona rancher Jim Chilton, was beautifully adorned with Native American jewelry, including an enviable turquoise-decorated squash blossom necklace (a style often considered the showpiece in private collections because it requires a lot of time, skill and precious materials to produce). Model and rapper Amber Rose also wore what looked to be a custom leather jacket made with the stars and stripes of the American flag but with the Carl Jr.’s logo for the stars (also a showpiece in any Carl’s Jr. clothing collection).
The best dressed, however, had to be Nikki Haley, who wore a knee-length, intricately stitched dress with a notched collar. As New York Times fashion critic Vanessa Friedman has noted, Haley has been very strategic about how she presents herself, often dressing “conservative but not too conservative.” She nailed it again this week.
Vivek Ramaswamy Upped His Shoe Game
In the last year or so, Vivek Ramaswamy has vaguely looked like Donald Duck, stomping along the campaign trail while wearing navy suits with brightly colored, orange-tan shoes. The problem with wearing tan shoes with dark suits is that they drag the viewer’s eye downward, taking attention away from your face. Thankfully, Ramaswamy got it right this week when he went with more conservative and tasteful black footwear. He should stick to this formula moving forward.
JD Vance Got a MAGA Makeover
If JD Vance has a stylist, they should get a raise. The former venture capitalist has undergone a total makeover in the last few years, switching from his shrunken tailoring to a fuller, more flattering silhouette. At this week’s convention, where he became Trump’s running mate, his outfits looked thoroughly considered: classically proportioned suits worn with tasteful neckties and, unlike many of his contemporaries on stage, a jacket collar that didn’t lift from his neck when he raised his arms — an important detail, given how often he had to wave at people. Like Rubio, his lapels looked like they were finished with hand-executed pick-stitched edges, which suggests these suits may be handmade and custom.
Babydog Stole the Show
Even with custom tailoring and $15k Rolex watches, no one could compete with Babydog, a chunky English bulldog belonging to West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice. Babydog put some of her human peers to shame. Rep. Matt Gaetz, for example, looked like he was attending a burial in his shrunken black suit and black tie. Babydog struck a more stylish, summery outfit with a biscuit-colored top and white bottoms; white pants, whether jeans or tailored trousers, are an excellent foil for any tailored jacket in the summer. Plus, she had charming collar rolls, a pleasing silhouette and an irresistible smile. Democrats have a month to respond and present America with an even cuter dog at their convention in August.
