Good morning.
If Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim really wants to communicate something influential through his clothing choices, he’d do better to study a master of the subtle craft.
Sim has been drawing steady criticism online for the way he chooses to dress for official events. Complaining about a politician’s clothing is a time-worn snark sport, though generally the focus is women.
But as Frances Bula wrote this weekend, Sim’s fondness for athleisure wear (that term must have been coined in Vancouver) has been frequently on display at council meetings, awards ceremonies and solemn public events.
While much has been written about the trend toward more casual attire since the pandemic, the mayor’s decision to wear a polo-type shirt, jeans, bright white sneakers and a knee-length puffy outdoor jacket to the city’s Remembrance Day ceremonies appeared to cross the line of good taste with some observers.
John Coupar, who dropped out of the race for mayor against Sim in the past election, commented, on X: “Mayor shows up to honour our war dead as rep of the City of Vancouver in white runners dressed like a frat boy. As a son of a veteran, I am appalled.”
Earlier this month, at a meeting with Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow in Toronto, Sim wore a T-shirt and light jeans, while Chow was in a dressy black pantsuit. At a contentious council meeting in August he was chairing, he wore a ball cap, form-fitting athletic top and ultralightweight running shorts in council chambers. And at a Vancouver Magazine event last year where he was honoured with a placement on the Power 50 list, he was in a hoodie, jeans and runners, prompting the evening’s host to make a crack about him dressing up for the occasion.
When Frances asked him about the controversy, in an e-mail he apologized for his Remembrance Day outfit.
“This year’s Remembrance Day was cold and wet, so I dressed in a parka and waterproof Vessis to stay warm and dry. In hindsight, I realize my outfit didn’t convey the respect that the occasion deserves, and I totally own that mistake. I will make sure to dress appropriately next time.”
But he also maintained that his attire is a deliberate effort to “break down those barriers and make it easier for people to approach me when I’m out in the community..”
He said it also allows him to showcase local Vancouver brands, noting Lululemon, Kit and Ace, and Vessi.
If that is the intent, it seems lost on those who have excoriated his choices. If he really wants to send a message with his clothing choices, he might reflect and learn from Queen Ellizabeth.
After the Brexit referendum, the Queen opened Parliament wearing blue and yellow, the colours of the European Union. For her first meeting with president Donald Trump during his first term — a man widely loathed in Britain — the Queen wore a brooch given to her by U.S. president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle.
Canada-born Derek Guy, who comments on the intersection of fashion and power in his hugely popular social media accounts on Instagram and X, said Sim dresses like a lot of people in tech and finance do. Formal clothing for politicians around the world has gone ever more casual since the 1970s, and that move appears to be more permissible for men than women.
Guy noted that obviously, people should be judged on more important qualities than just the way they dress. But he said like it or not, appearance matters.
“I just don’t know why you would want people talking about your clothes. It takes away ‘What are you working on? What have you accomplished?’ ” he said.
This is the weekly British Columbia newsletter written by B.C. Editor Wendy Cox. If you’re reading this on the web, or it was forwarded to you from someone else, you can sign up for it and all Globe newsletters here.