VICE News Meets Justin Trudeau

Back in March 2015, Justin Trudeau met up with VICE News to discuss his campaign, and other important topics relevant to Canadian news. This was one of the few times I've seen Trudeau in so much plaid so this ultimately caught my eye. 

Image: YouTube.com

Highlights: That lovely steel blue matching that sports jacket. Paired perfectly with slim grey trouser which matches Vice's Shane Smith's pair coincidently. Clean white dress shirt, and slim tie.
Appealing to: GQ enthusiasts.
Significance: VICE media is catered to younger generations who prefer alternative medium to get their news. It is though Trudeau's team wanted to have him in anything but a "stuffy" suit, way more relaxed, but still very well put together. The business casual look lightens up his image, making him more relatable for the youth vote. For them seeing a PM candidate in something like a blazer is less serious and boring (then perhaps signifying less dry as a personality).

Closing thoughts: I wish he didn't wear the tie to make the interview more casual (thus, giving more of a candid vibe), but I have to give him a break because this appears to be filmed at his work.

Ottawa Citizen Touches on Fashion and Politics

This morning my good friend Andrew sent me this short piece published by the Ottawa Citizen by William Watson. The columnist is a McGill University economics professor who studied the image behind the Liberal team's riding photos.

All of the candidates wear some black shirt or blouse to match the red and black background. It's also important to note what Watson who stated the photos were most likely Photoshopped onto the candidates. If you go on their Liberal website they are wearing completely different clothing.

From my perspective, it seems as though the Liberals want to create a universal image so it appears they are more of a team, rather than individual candidates.

Black is professional, formal, and you look more at the face than the item of clothing they are wearing. They are wearing the clothes, the clothes aren't wearing them. To me, it seems they would rather make their personality shine and give emotions through these photos which focus on the face, rather than their entire ensemble.

Maclean's National Leaders Debate

Justin Trudeau, left, Elizabeth May, Tom Mulcair, and Stephen Harper smile for the cameras for the first debate of the election season. Image: NetNewsLedger.com

Ahhh, the debates. 

It's best to start off this blog off where all four major leaders were in the same room, at the same time. When Maclean's and CityNews hosted the first National Leaders Debate on Aug. 8, thousands of Canadians watched, streamed, and listened to the PM and the three hopefuls go at one another in a tactful manner.

As this blog features a non-partisan view, below you'll find notes on each of the candidate's style choices for this event.

Image: Cbc.ca

JUSTIN TRUDEAU
Highlights: The impeccable fit of the suit. Trudeau's a young guy and has the right build for a trimmer suit. Bigger lapel. Also note, the only one not to wear a pin on a lapel. Sported a rich colour of burgundy for his tie.
Appealing to: Everyone.
Significance: If he chose a red tie, it would have been far too predictable. The burgundy is a subtle nod to his party's colour. As some may say he's just not ready, he presented himself like he is.

ELIZABETH MAY
Highlights: A safe black skirt-suit combo, with the white blouse collar sticking out (faux paus of mine). Glad May went with this and not a trouser as this gives her height and elongates her leg although we couldn't see much of the bottom half behind the podium.
Appealing to: Everyone.
Significance: May needs to show her party can take on the Big Three since the Green party is often left behind in election coverage. By giving her height on television against three already super tall men (height=strong, strong=powerful), May's team may have chose this option to show she can take on the Big Three seen as a subtle way for the viewers.

TOM MULCAIR
Highlights: No orange to be seen anywhere. Mulcair has broad shoulders but can pull off the smaller lapel quite nicely. His awesome chestnut shoes, which again, like May, was stuck behind a podium.
Appealing to: Everyone.
Significance: Mulcair's suit dimensions were perfect to scale. Smaller lapel, thus, wider shirt collar. If your outfit is perfect to scale, you look good and confident. Perhaps Mulcair's team was hoping the viewers caught on to that.

STEPHEN HARPER
Highlights: Classic fit for a conservative guy, of course. Wore his party's colour for his tie.
Appealing to: Everyone.
Significance: Harper can't go wrong with something that is traditional. You want to wear what you feel most comfortable in when you take on a debate like this. The media and viewers can't Harp on him for that. Is this look an ode to traditional values?

Closing thoughts: Everyone kept it safe and what was expected of them.