“Baffling to me how the wealthiest UK prime minister in history could live just steps away from Savile Row, the single greatest concentration of skilled bespoke tailors, and end up paying US$2k for a MTM suit with sleeves and trousers 2-4” too short,” Derek Guy wrote in a disparaging string of tweets on X.
The tweet has had 3.7 million views. In one picture Sunak’s suit trousers are half-way up his calves sitting down, which one follower describes as “pedal pushers”.
In the same thread, Guy said to his 463k followers: “Ironically, I think this sort of outfit makes a man look very middle-aged, as it’s a 20-yr old trend and young people are wearing baggier clothes. Surprised by the number of ppl who say Sunak is the best-dressed British PM in generations. Anthony Eden was one of the best dressed politicians of the 20th century.”
Guy claims there are conspiracy theories on why Sunak wears such short trousers and sleeves. “Some people suggest Sunak does this to make himself look taller (he’s 5’7”), but I don’t think this sort of pseudo-science holds water,” Guy, who writes for Esquire and is author of the blog “Die, Workwear!”, wrote.
Instead he said Sunak was a “vaguely trend-aware guy, but just a little behind on the times”, sharing picture of Sunak in Palm Angels slides and slim-fit chinos.
“I don’t think he has a grand theory for how short sleeves and pants make him look taller. He’s simply accustomed to wearing trendy things. So he wears early 2000s menswear trends, such as Thom Browne’s shrunken suit, which was a counter-reaction to ’90s Armani. That’s it!” he wrote.
Guy compared Sunak to the much taller King Felipe of Spain where he said “Trousers hit the shoe, the coat is halfway between the collar and floor, sleeves end where they should. In this way, his clothes don’t bring attention to his height; they are scaled to fit him.”
Kaushik Shrimanker, a bespoke menswear tailor in Mumbai, agreed with Guy. He told TOI: “For a man who is a powerful guy he has to wear the right suits. How do you show your power and confidence? The clothes are first the visiting cards. All Sunak’s suits are pathetic. They are never cut to his size and neverfittingwell. They look like they are off the rack.”
The criticism will come as a surprise for Sunak who was initially praised for being much smarter dressed than his predecessor Boris Johnson, known for his slovenly style.
Some might wonder why Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murty, does not give him advice. She was crowned as Tatler’s best dressed woman in Britain in its September issue, now on newsstands.
X user Chris replied to Guy’s tweet saying “more relatable this way tbh”, whilst another, Suhas Baliga, wrote: “He gets it done in fancier places than Savile Row, such as Bangalore and Delhi.”