As Pope Francis continues his tour of Cuba and the US, reportedly choosing to fly commercial rather than chartering “Shepherd One”, today he touches down at the Joint Base Andrews military facility, where he’ll begin a five-day bridge-building tour. His schedule is chock-full of worthwhile matters – his approach to climate change, immigration and wrongful incarceration – but, according to Women’s Wear Daily, the media’s interest is more focused on what he wears.
Interest in the papal wardrobe was piqued since it was revealed that he owns a £36 Swatch watch – black, with a white dial. When the strap broke, it took some coercion to buy a new one, lest it cost more than a new strap. His approach to style has become a talking point because it loosely originates from normcore: “It’s normal … we must get used to being normal,” he described his lifestyle, recently, after revealing that he wears a shirt, sweater and trousers under his cassock. His glasses, it is reported, come from Alessandro Spiezia (a reasonably-priced boutique, which has counted Bill Clinton and Frederico Fellini as customers), and his black shoes come from Carlos Samaria, a friend and cobbler based in Argentina, who specialises in orthopedic shoes.
His predecessor, Pope Benedict, of course became famous for wearing red custom made shoes. In an interview with Mio Papa – the magazine dedicated to all things papal – it is thought Pope Francis has an issue with his metatarsal, a physical condition that even custom made footwear doesn’t alleviate. He also shaves up to three times a day, which seems a bit extreme, unless your job involves kissing people, in which case “out of respect for those whom he embraces on his visits” it seems fair. All of which is perfectly on point with his ‘keep the papacy humble’ thing, and it is proof that, like most people, Pope Francis is keen to underline his message through his accessories.
• This article was amended on 2 October 2015. An earlier version referred to Pope Benedict’s red Prada, rather than custom made, shoes.
