We've got our fair share of stylish American politicos, from senators to First Ladies. But city mayors? Not too many come to mind.
But Newark's Cory Booker is making a case for himself, dropping weight and suiting up for the most recent issue of Fairchild Fashion Media's Menswear. The second-term mayor, known for making hard decisions in his New Jersey city to some spectacular results, also made the decision to get stylish after gaining 50 pounds.
"I was so stressed, with massive layoffs and terrible police negotiations, I gained 50 pounds," Booker tells Menswear. "Even my relaxed jeans weren’t fitting me."
So his staff staged an intervention -- well, several actually:
"My staff has definitely had to do fashion interventions over the years,” he says with a laugh. “They’ve said, ‘Your suit is attracting attention to you that’s bad,’ and ‘Speedos—don’t do it.’ ” Not that the mayor wears them. “It was preemptive,” he explains.
There was another quite crucial intervention along the way: “My staff did an intervention on pleats," Booker admits.
Now he's looking almost as stylish as that most stylish of politicos. In trying to master the perfect tie knot, Booker is not yet perfect. "The lines are all smooth around here," he said, "but then Obama will always get the dimple."
Read the rest in Menswear, on newsstands today, and online at WWD.com/menswear-news.
