Pope Francis is my favorite pope thus far. I mean the man is humble, walks his talk, and seems so genuinely concerned with humankind, not just Catholic-kind. It didn't surprise me that Time chose him as their Person of the Year. He has certainly done much to distinguish himself this year and people worldwide have noticed. Still, I was a little surprised and tickled to find out that Esquire has named Pope Francis as their Best Dressed Man of 2013. But really, it makes total sense and we could all stand to take some fashion cues from the dopest pope around (I say that with much respect).
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In the past, popes were all bling on bling. Growing up as a Catholic, it made no sense to me and I have to admit that I had a bit of dislike for all the pomp and regalia. It seemed excessive and quite frankly wrong. Pope Francis is not like that, though. In the words of Mark-Evan Blackman, assistant professor of menswear design at FIT, "His mode of dressing really does reflect the mindset behind it. I remember when John Paul II was buried in those opulent bright red shoes. When the current pope was elected and chose not to wear the red shoes I thought that was very reflective of his approach to being a person functioning in a role."
This pope is of the people and not above the people and he demonstrates that time and time again. He is approachable, he interacts with the common folk, he lives in an apartment as opposed to the Apostolic Palace, and his garments in the form of simplified regalia are another outward expression of his character. I think Esquire chose very well this year.
I no longer consider myself Catholic, but I do consider myself one of the many admirers of Pope Francis.
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