Why do men, especially in D.C., suddenly seem so taken with electric blue suits? Is this a MAGA trend? Or something broader? — JoAnn, Canton, Mich.
Where the president goes, many follow. President Trump has been wearing a suit that is a brighter shade of blue than the traditional midnight or navy for a while now. This may be because it reads more like the flag, especially when paired with his white shirt and red tie, thus creating a subliminal link between his person and patriotism, especially in photographs.
It may also be because the bright blue suit is easier to see on the small screen, which may be why it also is a favored shade of Fox newscasters. (This could be a chicken-and-egg question. Which came first: Mr. Trump or Fox?)
And it may be because, as Alan Flusser, a tailor to the tycoon set, told me, it appeals to “those who want to stand apart.” Like, he said, sportscasters. Or the occasional celebrity, like Ryan Gosling, who has a yen to experiment with color.
Now, however, it also appeals to those who want to stand with the president, like Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and who want to be clearly seen as standing with the president. And increasingly, said Sam Hine, the global fashion correspondent of GQ, it may appeal to a new generation of power dressers who don’t want to dress exactly like their fathers, in dark suits, but who have to adhere to a certain professional style. Like, he said, beginning investment bankers.
The effect is a more showy masculinity, which makes sense for the Trump crowd and Wall Street climbers. It used to be that politics and finance were bastions of discreet dressing in which the overriding sartorial ethos was to be well groomed, fit in and not attract attention to yourself, but that started to change back in the 1980s. The seeds planted then with Gordon Gekko, whose advent as a pop culture paradigm coincided with Mr. Trump’s formative New York real estate years, are now bearing fruit.
It’s not an accident that this particular blue, which is known variously as cobalt blue and royal blue, is also called Neapolitan blue, which is a blue favored by certain Italian captains of industry like Gianni Agnelli.
Still, while the bright blue suit is unquestionably becoming more visible, I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a men’s wear trend — or even a flag of the MAGA movement. Most cabinet members, and Vice President JD Vance, are sticking with tried-and-true dark blue suits and choosing to adopt Mr. Trump’s red tie, or the red MAGA cap, as a sign of allegiance.
Accessories, after all, are an easier investment. At the men’s fall shows in Paris, there weren’t many bright blue suits on the runway, if any at all. When I asked Mr. Hine if he thought they were going to take off, he looked dubious.
A more likely development is that they will simply become a more common part of the male professional wardrobe. Mr. Flusser said that before Mr. Trump’s second term, he would have estimated that “out of 50 navy suit sales, maybe three were of a cobalt nature.” That number may have risen, but it’s still not the dominant shade.
Your Style Questions, Answered
Every week on Open Thread, Vanessa will answer a reader’s fashion-related question, which you can send to her anytime via email or X. Questions are edited and condensed.
Vanessa Friedman has been the fashion director and chief fashion critic for The Times since 2014.
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