The news of Narendra Modi’s personalised pinstripe suit, where the stripes were actually made up of his name, broke the Internet last Sunday. While Modi is a fashion-trendsetter by the standards of Indian politicians, he isn’t the pioneer of personalised accessories – or even personalised pinstripes. We’ve racked our brains (and our Googling abilities) to come up with a list of people who wore their names on their attire. Here are some other members of PM Modi’s personalised club.
Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak:
Better known as Hosni Mubarak, the former President of Egypt was better known as the man whose regime the Arab-spring revolution in Egypt toppled. What is less known however, is that the man was once pictured wearing a navy blue pinstripe suit where, like Modi’s, the pinstripes were actually his name spelled repeatedly. Though Mubarak did beat Modi to personalised pinstripes, Modi can take solace from the fact that Mubarak’s name was misspelt. Full marks for effort, none for execution.
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Bernard Madoff:
Popularly known as Bernie, Madoff, a former investment advisor, stockbroker and financier, is better known for his conviction in the largest financial fraud in the history of the United States of America. While Bernie was still rolling in his ill-gotten dough, he had a notorious penchant for the extravagant. After his conviction, in 2010, Madoff’s personal belongings were auctioned off. One of the many things that were auctioned off were Madoff’s personalised slippers which had his initials monogrammed on them. We wonder how much his slippers sold for!
Carlos Menem:
This former Argentinian president was sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of corruption in June, 2013. While he was still in power, Menem, like both Modi and Mubarak, used to wear suits with his name written in pinstripes. Given the trend of leaders indulging in personal pinstripes meeting with less-than-positive ends, we hope Modi has better luck.
Evander Holyfield:
A retired professional American boxer, Holyfield was a former undisputed World Champion. Holyfield, at the peak of his career, had four suits which read: ‘EVANDER HOLYFIELD’, ‘THE CHAMP’, ‘THE CHAMP ONE MORE TIME’, and ‘THE THREE-TIME CHAMP’ respectively. While Mike Tyson may have bitten off a chunk of Holyfield’s ear, clearly his vanity remained intact.
Reese Witherspoon:
American actress and producer Reese Witherspoon shot to fame with her film Legally Blonde in 2001. Recently, tabloids caught Witherspoon sporting handbags with her initials ‘LRW’ (Laura Reese Witherspoon) emblazoned on them. Witherspoon recently found herself at the receiving end of criticism for her handbags. Though it wasn’t for her self-indulgent initials but for carrying a python-skin bag.
Frederick Chiluba:
From 1991 to 2002, while Zambia languished in poverty, former Zambian president Frederick Chiluba displayed a penchant for all things extravagant. His lavish tastes included monogrammed shirts. As Chiluba’s style quotient went up, his approval ratings went down, culminating in him eventually being charged with theft to the tune of 40 million USD from the national exchequer.
Shakal:
What real life does, Bollywood does better. Shakal was the iconic villain in the classic yesteryear movie Shaan. While he’s better remembered for using his enemies as fodder for sharks, cinephiles won’t soon forget his black bandhgala suit which had a large ‘S’ monogrammed on the chest and collar.
If you know of any more personalities who have indulged in similar fashion statements, do write in and tell us so that we can add to this not-so-comprehensive list of ours. Standing by for a crowd sourced article. Write in to us at contact@newslaudnry.com or tweet to us @newslaundry or post on our facebook page.