Share

Illinois governor's schedule includes recommended attire

Share

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — What if you were governor of Illinois and didn’t have a thing to wear?

If you’re J.B. Pritzker, you look at your daily schedule.

During his first six weeks in office, Pritzker’s appointment calendar includes 70 “attire” recommendations for events as varied as bill signings, a state police officer’s funeral, a White House dinner, surveying flood damage, and cocktails with legislators at the Illinois Governor’s Mansion.

Pritzker, among the nation’s 400 richest people, needs sartorial suggestions?

He’s not alone. Joseph Rosenfeld, a fashion and personal style strategist in New York who’s from the Illinois city of Buffalo Grove, maps out wardrobes with all his C-Suite executives. “It comes back to one basic premise: relatability,” he said.

Trending:
Federal Judge Has Bad News for Hunter Biden, Says There's Zero Evidence His Charges Are Politically Motivated

Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh said staff members get suggestions from organizers of the governor’s events, but the governor ultimately decides what to wear.

Fifty-five of the recommendations on the calendar, disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act, were simply, “Business: suit and tie.” Khakis, “button-down and pullover,” and “polo with Columbia jacket” also make the mix. The Democrat was advised to forgo neckwear when he hosted dinner for union leaders, but “Bring extra tie options” was the note on Feb. 9, the day of his official portrait.

Despite his girth, Pritzker keeps his ties at a proper length, avoiding the long necktie look that President Donald Trump favors. While Pritzker often opts for a blazer and khakis, they’re typically crisply pressed — no disheveled “Mom jeans” like those for which former President Barack Obama was excoriated at baseball’s 2009 All-Star Game.

“When you wear the right thing, you’re message-focused,” said Patsy Cisneros, CEO of California-based Corporate Icon. “As soon as someone does something that’s off — the tie is too long, the color is wrong for the time and place — that will be the focus. What happens to the message of the day?”

Gubernatorial fashion in Illinois gets a lot of attention. Disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s tailor regularly toted material swatches to the governor’s Chicago office. Gov. Pat Quinn had a “lucky” purple striped tie — more than one, as it turned out. Near-billionaire Gov. Bruce Rauner eschewed neckties with suits, wore big belt buckles, plaid shirts with rhinestone snaps, and a leather vest while astride his motorcycle.

Jim Edgar, the Republican governor from 1991-1999, kept it simple. Indoors — or even at a late-season University of Illinois football game — he donned one of a dozen or so dark blue or gray suits. For a parade or picnic in fair weather, he had the same number of blue polo shirts and khakis. But there were fashion fails. Once, he was told his khakis were too light to wear in October. Another time, staff members drew straws to assign the task of telling Edgar to ditch a favorite pair of shoes.

“Times were different,” said Edgar, who frowns on the current trend of suits with no neckwear. “I always thought you had to dress the part. You’re the governor. You set the tone. … You have to show respect for the crowd, whoever the audience is.”

Democrat Quinn agreed that a governor dressed too casually “diminishes the person and the office.” He said his ties of purple, the color of mourning, were appropriate for the more than 300 military funerals he attended while he was lieutenant governor (2003-2009) and governor (2009-2015).

“I’m not exactly a ‘clothes horse’ to begin with. I have three or four suits, a few shirts and ties. You wear those six, seven days a week. When they wore out, I went to Men’s Wearhouse.”

Related:
Former MSNBC Host Chuck Todd Furious After Network Hires Former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel

Rosenfeld said the fact that Pritzker’s wardrobe guidance is made public “is sort of telling in itself.”

“He’s being deliberate, intentional, thoughtful,” Rosenfeld said. “That is respectful of the public, the people he’s dealing with, the way he serves as an officeholder.”

___

Associated Press researcher Jennifer Farrar in New York and writer Caryn Rousseau in Chicago contributed to this report.

___

Follow Political Writer John O’Connor at https://twitter.com/apoconnor .

The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
Share
The Associated Press is an independent, not-for-profit news cooperative headquartered in New York City. Their teams in over 100 countries tell the world’s stories, from breaking news to investigative reporting. They provide content and services to help engage audiences worldwide, working with companies of all types, from broadcasters to brands. Photo credit: @AP on Twitter
The Associated Press was the first private sector organization in the U.S. to operate on a national scale. Over the past 170 years, they have been first to inform the world of many of history's most important moments, from the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the fall of the Shah of Iran and the death of Pope John Paul.

Today, they operate in 263 locations in more than 100 countries relaying breaking news, covering war and conflict and producing enterprise reports that tell the world's stories.
Location
New York City




Conversation