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A feature of celebrity magazines is the question “Who wore it best?” when two famous people are spotted wearing the same outfit. For this week’s presidential inauguration, the question that came to mind was “Who wore it worst?” — not because of duplicate outfits (although surely there were many men present wearing a blue suit and red tie), but because of the eyebrow-raising nature of the outfits.
The most egregious fashion faux pas were made by Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman and Lauren Sánchez, the fiancee of Jeff Bezos.
Fetterman, whose penchant for baggy shorts and Carhartt hoodies caused the Senate to formalize a dress code in 2023, wore his usual attire even though it was so cold outside that the ceremony had to be moved indoors. It turned out to be the fourth coldest inauguration on record — Ronald Reagan’s in 1985, which was also moved indoors, was the coldest at 7 degrees, followed by the inauguration of Ulysses Grant in 1873 (16 degrees) and John F. Kennedy in 1961 (22 degrees).
Even for someone known for casual dress, it was still startling to see Fetterman in full pick-up-basketball-game mode for such an occasion, particularly since he recently met with President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago and seems to be on good terms with the president. In other words, Fetterman wasn’t thumbing his nose at Trump in particular, just at convention, it seems.
Sánchez was also not out of character in choosing attire that showed her lingerie. In other settings, she has revealed even more than this outfit did, and if this had been a Super Bowl halftime show, her clothing would have been considered demure.
But again, the setting and the occasion mattered — even the famously casual Mark Zuckerberg knew to wear a suit — and she was widely castigated on social media, with people saying the outfit was in poor taste and disrespectful.
Both Fetterman and Sánchez had to know that their choices would get attention, and not in a good way. Less certain is how first lady Melania Trump intended her boater-style hat to land; one MSNBC commentator labeled it “defiant,” which seems a stretch, particularly when describing a former fashion model; most people seemed to settle on “elegant,” like the designer of the hat did.
That hatmaker, Eric Javits, told CBS Mornings, “I thought she looked amazing, very polished, very pulled together. I think it reflected the formality of the occasion.”
He gets it, even if some of the invited guests didn’t.
The best-dressed man in conservatism?
One person you can always count on to be dressed for the occasion, or perhaps even overdressed, is Jordan Peterson. While his hand-tailored suits cannot always be called conservative — he has a tie patterned with images of Elon Musk’s head — he’s always dressed up. And he is appreciative that many people who come to his lectures dress up too.
When one interviewer asked him why, he said, “Because they’re sick of acting like kids.”
“You know, our whole culture pushes the idea that teenage life, or even childhood, for that matter ... is some sort of pinnacle, so everybody dresses down, and people, especially men, look like overgrown 10-year-olds, and there’s something extremely demeaning about that.”
Peterson told podcaster Joe Rogan that his father, a professor, always wore a suit, saying it was to show respect for his students. His own choices are likely more eclectic than his father’s, but they always get attention. At one Peterson event I attended a few years ago, one of the first questions from the audience was “Where did you get that suit?”
These days, the answer might be Estonia.
A Peterson fan, who also happened to be a clothing designer, came up with an idea to make 12 suits for Peterson that align with his “12 Rules for Life.” Getting through to Peterson, though, was something of a challenge — as Amos Chapple wrote, Dimitry Toukhcher wound up buying a VIP ticket to one of Peterson’s shows in Estonia, where he got to meet him, and he later got a 10-minute phone call with Peterson in which he pitched the idea, and Peterson signed on.
He’s gone on to make other distinctive suits for Peterson, including one patterned with religious iconography.
You, too, can book an appointment with the same company that designs for Peterson, LGFG Fashion House, although it’s unclear from the website what it might cost. There’s an old adage that comes to mind though: If you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it. The client list also includes rock stars Alice Cooper and Ozzy Osbourne.
The vindication of Bari Weiss and Tucker Carlson
Three more signs that the media is transforming in real time into something different:
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, just did a sit-down interview with Tucker Carlson, and Politico reported on it.
Sean Hannity’s new monthly show, “Sean,” airing on Fox Nation, is more than vaguely Tucker-esque, with its more casual vibe and long-form format.
And a Free Press debate scheduled next month on the topic “Does the West Need a Religious Revival?” features Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Ross Douthat on one side, and Adam Carolla and Michael Shermer on the other.
That debate lineup is significant because Douthat is a columnist for The New York Times, and Free Press founder Bari Weiss famously left that publication to strike out on her own. She wrote at the time in her resignation letter, “The paper of record is, more and more, the record of those living in a distant galaxy, one whose concerns are profoundly removed from the lives of most people.” Now, just four years after Weiss started the newsletter that grew into The Free Press, it is leading national conversations — with a New York Times personality as a guest.
The mainstream media (which most Americans say includes Fox, by the way) is by no means dead, as some pundits continue to insist. But it’s changing, lately in some very positive ways.
Recommended reading
Holly Richardson on creating the “beloved community” that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. often spoke of: “We can’t sit back and wait for someone else to do something. We all need to ‘lift where we stand’ and work to heal our deep divisions.”
Steve Pierce on why history may be kinder to Joe Biden than voters were in 2025: “His legislative accomplishments address issues of long-term importance — economic competitiveness, climate resilience and the restoration of public goods — that transcend the daily churn of partisan politics.”
https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2025/01/18/joe-biden-legacy-voters/
My latest
Will Trump get credit for the hostage release like Reagan did?
https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2025/01/16/hamas-israel-hostage-release-ceasefire-trump-biden/
Can this state be saved? Why California is so ... different
In closing
The sign outside Madison Avenue Baptist Church in Manhattan this week says “May all your problems last as long as your New Year resolutions.” If you see a church sign that makes you laugh, I’d love to see it. Email me at Jgraham@deseretnews.com.