Dressing for a big meeting is stressful for most people. Imagine you’re Vladimir Zelensky and that meeting is a treaty negotiation with Donald Trump. Yesterday, when the Ukrainian president arrived at the White House to discuss ending the war with Russia, he traded the uniform of military sweatshirts, cargo pants, and combat boots he’s worn since the war began three years ago for a decidedly dressier look: A tailored black field jacket, black button-up shirt, and black trousers by Kiev-based designer Viktor Anisimov.
The stakes for the meeting were high. Not only was the future of his country on the table, Zelensky’s last summit with Trump in February had not gone well, and his decision not to wear a suit was one point of contention (“Oh look, you’re all dressed up,” the President had quipped.) When Zelensky stepped out of his limo at the White House this time, however, his vibe shift appeared to have the desired effect. “I don’t believe it… I love it!” remarked Trump, gesturing to Zelensky’s jacket as they posed for photographs.
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It was an awkward exchange, even by Trump’s standards, and has drawn mixed reactions. By appearing to bend to the will of the American president on his attire, Zelensky was signaling he’d be willing to make other concessions. On the other hand, it was a relatively small gesture designed to appease a guy who is known to make decisions based on far less. It’s also worth noting that this isn’t the first time Zelensky has tweaked his wartime presidential outfit towards the more formal end of the spectrum, as he did when he attended the funeral of Pope Francis in April. “We had already started working on the president’s new wardrobe and style in January,” Anisimov told WWD on Monday. “After what happened in February, knowing our president’s principles, I thought that he would not want to change his style. But no, he decided that we should continue.”
