Why Barack Obama's Post-Presidency Style Transformation Is So Fascinating
By Jihan Forbes. Photos: Getty Images.
Barack Obama has been out of office almost 5 months, and he seems to be really, really enjoying himself. The former POTUS is island hopping, jet-skiing, wearing his hat backwards, and most recently, serving style moments that has got the entire internet in a tizzy. His appearance at the Seeds & Chips Global Food Innovation Summit in Milan on Tuesday even had New York Magazine heralding him as a "Street Style Star." All because homeboy wore a nicely tailored suit with no tie, and left a few of his buttons conspicuously unbuttoned.
I, for one, am enjoying every single minute of Obama's post-presidency style. Not because his style is particularly groundbreaking – he's no Nick Wooster, after all – but because it's just so not how we're used to seeing Obama. Sure, there were dad jeans during his time in office. But once those photos of him on vacation wearing a backwards hit the web, I felt a wave of joy wash over me, knowing that our former president was finally free. You could tell the man had been waiting eight years to wear his hat like that in public. With this newfound freedom, we're seeing Mr. Obama also taking more style risks.
The guy is evolving, and people are excited about it, partially because Obama looks polished in a way, again, we're not used to seeing. Michelle Obama herself had something of a sartorial makeover leading up to her time in the White House, and quickly became a symbol of aspirational First Lady style. But Mr. Obama, as president, wasn't really experimenting with his style. Understandable, as he was trying to, you know, run the country. But now, the man has time, and the internet is eating it up.
Let's be real – Obama has a long way to go before he truly becomes the kind of street style star I would put on my vision board. Maybe he can ask Michelle for some pointers. But I, for one, am enjoying watching his burgeoning style evolution, and while his is not yet a name we'd particularly associate with good style (though history-making game changer is a pretty good consolation,) this is Obama's time to be as swaggy as he wants to be.
This story originally appeared on Allure.
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