And now, the end is near. As the world gets twinkly eyed about the Obamas leaving the White House, one fashion truth remains. Since 2009, the family have offered up a masterclass in how to look great as high-profile public figures while also semaphoring wildly with their clothes. Think: Michelle in a twisty thunder-blue Christian Siriano dress at this year’s Democratic convention or Malia wearing a Smoking Kills T-shirt at a Philadelphia festival: statement pieces, in both senses.
Barack Obama’s all-black Adidas tracksuit, which has floated back into the public consciousness (it’s from 2009), is part of that family tradition. Currently setting comedy pulses racing on Twitter, according to internet wags he looks like a (delete as appropriate) a rapper from Soundcloud, someone who only texts you after 2am (the ‘69’ in the background was not lost on the commentators), or Skepta (whose trademark look is the all-black tracksuit).
What makes it wholly Barack’s, though, is that he has worn it with trainers and a T-shirt from Adidas’s arch rival Nike. It could be a subversive stripes with non-matching stripes moment but, let’s be honest, is probably more in keeping with Obama’s trademark dad style. Such mixing of sports brands is very: “Hey son, what is a ‘Snapchat’”?” But it looks great and fits with the current trend where a retro tracksuit is the new smart casual (mixing trackies with a smart jacket is very Christopher Shannon and Joseph).
It is also a poignant reminder of the consistent style the Obamas have brought to their seven-and-a-half years in the White House. We say: can you just stay in power for another seven years, please?
