The President's Fine Clothes

When it comes to fashion, trends are easily set. All it takes is for the 'right' person to make the 'right' comment, and within a matter of weeks, the whole of the Western world is gaily following suit, or in this case "chapan". In a very flattering, almost gushy article in Berlin's Tagesspiegel newspaper, fashion designer Wolfgang Joop swooned over the perfection of the traditional blue and green Afghan "chapan" and lambskin hat, which have become the mark of Hamid Karzai. The look has already begun dripping into the Western mainstream, but there's still a lot that designers could do with it.

There's no doubt that Karsai, like Nelson Mandela before him, brings a splash of color to the otherwise dull ensemble of suits and ties which make up the assembly of world leaders. In his praise for the president's style, Joop said Karzai stood out from the crowd, and he intimated that the others could learn a thing of two from his individualism. But what would happen if all those middle-aged and aging gentlemen started donning their respective traditional looks? Tony Blair in brogues and a trademark tweed flatcap, Jacques Chirac with a striped shirt and beret, or our very own Gerhard Schröder in hip-hugging lederhosen? Quite frankly, they'd be too busy laughing at each other to ever sort out any of the world's problems. So maybe on reflection, they should just stick to looking dull and continue to concentrate on the fabric of politics.