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Tailor: Power brokers moving to a more ‘Obama-like’ fit
By: Jeff Dufour and Kiki Ryan
Washington Examiner
06/28/09 5:09 PM EDT
First lady Michelle Obama isn’t the only one in the White House changing the world of fashion — her husband, President Barack Obama, is slowly influencing similar changes for men.
Anthony Asaf has been tailoring for the high-powered, high-profile men in Washington for years, coming in from Hong Kong to create bespoke suits, shirts and ties. We caught up with the tailor last week while in town for his thrice-yearly visits. “Yes, changes are being seen” around town, he said.
Asaf said that though the classic colors of black, gray and blue remain, his clients — who require anonymity, but include committee chairmen in Congress, ambassadors and lobbyists — are asking for a more “Obama-like” fit.
“We are seeing a much slimmer suit, and a narrower, almost tapered pant leg,” Asaf told Yeas & Nays last week from his hotel room, which doubled as a fitting room during his visit to Washington.
“The shoulder is also much softer, with less padding in it than before,” he continued to tell us, while showing off some of the 7,000-plus fabrics that he uses to make suits.
And apparently the recession isn’t holding back this city’s men from looking good. One suit, complete with custom silk lining and buttons and the customer’s name on the inside, can cost up to $4,500.
Maybe designer Donatella Versace was on to something at last year’s men’s fashion week in Milan. That was when she named her Spring-Summer 2009 line after then-presidential candidate Barack Obama.
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