Kwame Kilpatrick was mayor of Detroit from 2002 to 2008. He resigned from office and was promptly convicted of a host of crimes perfectly representative of a corrupt politician—racketeering, extortion, fraud, and bribery. Kilpatrick was, to put it simply, a criminal mayor and a bit of a disgrace. He was, also, pretty well-dressed the whole time.
Looking back at pictures of Kilpatrick during his tenure as mayor of the largest city in Michigan, it’s impossible to ignore his clothes. They are the first things we notice in those somewhat grainy digital photos from the early aughts. They demand our attention. They stick out so much—especially in our era of dressing down—that it’s worthwhile to take a walk down memory lane in hopes of better understanding aesthetic sensibilities of Mayor Kilpatrick.
Kilpatrick was almost always in a suit. Not an odd jacket with trousers; a full suit. A simple Google image search turns up photo after photo of Kilpatrick wearing a stunning variety of suits of all kinds. Pinstripes, chalk stripes, checks, and a variety of solid colors. Notch lapels, peak lapels, single-breasted, double-breasted, flap pockets, patch pockets, three-piece suits, two-button suits, three-button suits, four-button suits, and even five-buttons suits! Heavy shoulder pads in some photos, soft unstructured shoulders in a few here and there. French cuffs on the shirts always. Mayor Kilpatrick’s suit collection was vast, his closet was certainly deep.
When it comes to neckwear, Kilpatrick was, of course, almost always in a tie. His taste in neckwear mirrored his exuberant taste in suits. Large bright paisleys, ornate micro-patterns, solid reds, solid darks, floral prints, rep ties, the complex shiny striped ties containing a handful of shades and colors that were so popular during that era, plaids, and even a few bow ties here and there. Based on the variety and sheer number, I would estimate that Kwame Kilpatrick had no fewer than 250 ties hanging in his wardrobe. There is no doubt about it: He was a clothes horse.
Another important fact, and one that underscores Kilpatrick’s sartorial tendencies, is the fact that he stands at a massive 6 feet 5 inches. It’s not easy to find suiting for a guy that tall. There is the big-and-tall section of course, and I am sure Mayor Kilpatrick spent quite a bit of time there, but it’s never as full as the regular section. There is never the same variety. Furthermore, the taller you are, the more considerations there are and the harder it gets to find anything that fits anywhere close to right even if the size is correct on the label.
Mayor Kilpatrick didn’t fill his closet with merely off-the-rack choices. He was wearing custom while leading the city of Detroit. Some of these custom suits he received as “gifts” and some, I am sure, he bought himself. Nevertheless, one doesn’t wear custom suits unless one loves suits.
It’s also worth noting that the impact of Kilpatrick’s grand stature wasn’t limited to suiting, but also neckwear. When you are NBA-player tall, you can’t wear a regular length tie. You have to buy long or maybe even extra-long. Long and extra-long ties are much harder to find. To amass such a number of ties like he did reflects a certain level of care and devotion to one’s wardrobe.
Kwame was a crook, sure. But he was a well-dressed, or at least exuberantly dressed, crook. I know that sounds like a little joke, or a coy thing to observe. And it kind of is, but I’m not meaning it in that way, or at least not entirely in that way.
A lot of politicians are crooks. We all know it. It’s one of the reasons why we all get sick of them. It’s been true a long time. “They’ve always been a bunch of corrupt liars,” says the crotchety 84-year-old grandfather with a dismissive wave from his chair in the living room. But maybe if you’re going to be a crook, at least be a well-dressed one?
This is about Kwame and his wardrobe of course, but it’s not only about Kwame. Kwame dressed in his suits and ties because it was 2004, and back in the early 2000s there was still an assumption that men of certain positions should wear suits and ties. That was the expectation and he ran with it. I wouldn’t say Kwame’s style was exactly my personal taste, but he sure had a vibe. He had a vision with his wardrobe, and that’s more than we can say for most.
Mayor Kilpatrick’s sartorial taste was adventurous by today’s standards, but it wasn’t that adventurous for the time. Sure, a little. The three-piece suits, the five-button suits, the custom flap pockets—those are adventurous today and were adventurous then. But the prints on the ties, the style of shirts, the stripes, the suit fabrics and patterns, these weren’t exactly out of the norm for that time. He was known for them, but he wasn’t considered insane for them. Today his wardrobe would almost be unthinkable. Today, everyone dresses down, the upright and the crook alike.
Back when more guys wore suits, more guys wore suits with flair. Now that very few guys wear suits, almost no one wears anything with any flair. Just look at your average corrupt politician today and you’ll notice it. It’s basically bland vs. color. Dressed down vs. dressed up. No vibe vs. vibe.
If we are going to have crooks, at least let them be well-dressed.
O.W. Root is a writer based in Northern Michigan, with a focus on nature, food, style, and culture. Follow him on X @owroot.
