--- title: Barack Obama's Tan Suit: A Necessary Defense description: Just because the President wore a suit that wasn't a shade of gray or blue doesn't mean you should have a problem with it canonical: https://time.com/3214633/barack-obama-tan-suit/ author: Eric Dodds article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-08-29T12:21:25.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:02:26.568Z og:title: In Defense of President Obama's Tan Suit og:description: Just because he wore a suit that wasn't a shade of gray or blue doesn't mean you should have a problem with it og:url: https://time.com/3214633/barack-obama-tan-suit/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt21926a52f833a046/6986a16d3bc99956ec1a5189/barack-obama-tan-suit.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4668 og:image:height: 2626 og:image:alt: President Obama Makes Statement In The Briefing Room Of White House og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: In Defense of President Obama's Tan Suit twitter:description: Just because he wore a suit that wasn't a shade of gray or blue doesn't mean you should have a problem with it twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt21926a52f833a046/6986a16d3bc99956ec1a5189/barack-obama-tan-suit.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # In Defense of Barack Obama's Tan Suit > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=565aa03b-d6bb-48c8-98c2-b1e112c8ab56&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Obama: ‘We Don’t Have A Strategy Yet’ For ISIS [Watch (HLS stream): Obama: ‘We Don’t Have A Strategy Yet’ For ISIS](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/p9LXCR3r.m3u8) (0:47)  _Published 2014-08-28. Obama: ‘We Don’t Have A Strategy Yet’ For ISIS_ by [Eric Dodds](https://time.com/author/eric-dodds/) ## Eric Dodds Aug 29, 2014 12:21 PM UTC  WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 28: U.S. President Barack Obama makes a statement in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House August 28, 2014 in Washington, DC. President Obama spoke on various topics including possible action against ISIL and immigration reform. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 28: U.S. President Barack Obama makes a statement in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House August 28, 2014 in Washington, DC. President Obama spoke on various topics including possible action against ISIL and immigration reform. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) Alex Wong—Getty Images by [Eric Dodds](https://time.com/author/eric-dodds/) ## Eric Dodds Aug 29, 2014 12:21 PM UTC Let’s make this much clear: there is nothing wrong, wild or crazy about a tan suit. This may come as a shock to those who expressed outrage at President Obama’s choice of attire yesterday, but not all suits come in a shade of gray or navy. In fact, as colors outside of those two go, tan is rather plain and simple. As for the suit itself, the lapels are in their typical three-inch range, it’s not tailored any better than his other suits (at least from the navel up) and the American flag pin is in its usual location. The tan suit is just another suit that happens to be a slightly different color than the ones he normally wears. It was, in no way, a fashion statement. Here is a brief list of fashion choices that would have been “bold” or “[wack-ass](http://gawker.com/president-obama-shames-america-by-wearing-wack-ass-tan-1628136603)” that the President could have made yesterday: 1. T-shirt with suit and sleeves rolled up (aka the “[Miami Vice](http://bestofthe80s.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/05.jpg?quality=85)“). 2. Whatever [Austin Mahone was wearing](http://cdn02.cdn.justjaredjr.com/wp-content/uploads/pictures/2014/08/mahone-vmas/austin-mahone-truth-or-dare-mtv-vma-red-carpet-04.jpg) at the VMAs. 3. Crocs. But the President did not wear any of those things. Nor did he wear a three-piece suit, a seersucker suit or a white suit. Hell, he didn’t even opt for the [Reagan mullet suit](https://twitter.com/doddsef/status/505109217293131777/photo/1) (business on the top, lounging on the bottom). Perhaps the only curious thing about Obama’s suit selection was its timing. Not the fact that he wore it during the summer time (that’s when you should be wearing a tan suit, if at any time), but that he wore it while discussing crucial issues of foreign policy with the press. It was a somber occasion, and there’s apparently a certain expectation of precisely how the President’s attire should match the mood. It’s tough to argue with that point. When discussing serious matters, there’s no reason not to be dressed accordingly. (Though one could hardly be forgiven for wondering why those criticizing Obama for discussing serious matters in improper attire are focused on that attire rather than the issues they’ve deemed so serious.) The larger problem lies in the expectations that Obama had previously created. In this 2012 _Vanity Fair_ profile, Michael Lewis quotes Obama [saying the following](http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/2012/10/michael-lewis-profile-barack-obama): “You’ll see I wear only gray or blue suits… I’m trying to pare down decisions. I don’t want to make decisions about what I’m eating or wearing. Because I have too many other decisions to make.” So for the last six years, that’s pretty much all we’ve seen him in. Gray or blue, charcoal or navy, day after day after day until seeing him out of that particular uniform (other than athletic attire) became tantamount to seeing a performer out of costume. The irony is that the President is often criticized for being bland, even in his fashion choices. To be frank, after yesterday’s outcry, who can blame him? Next time you or anyone asks the Commander-in-Chief for a little personality or originality, don’t be surprised if this is cited as a reason for declining that request. The choice in tie, on the other hand, that’s a little more difficult to defend… ## Transcript [00:00] I have consulted with Congress throughout this process I'm [00:06] confident that as commander- in- chief I have the [00:08] authorities to engage in the acts that we are conducting [00:11] currently as our strategy develops, [00:16] we will continue to consult with Congress and I do think [00:19] that it will be important for Congress ,. To weigh in and or [00:23] that consultations with Congress continue to develop so [00:27] that the American people are part of the debate. But [00:31] I don't wanna put the cart before the horse. We don't have [00:34] a strategy yet. As I've said, rooting out a cancer like ISIL [00:39] will not be quick. We're easy, but I'm confident that we can [00:42] and we will, working closely with our allies and our [00:45] partners. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3214633/barack-obama-tan-suit/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3214633/barack-obama-tan-suit/"},"headline":"In Defense of Barack Obama's Tan Suit","datePublished":"2014-08-29T12:21:25.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:02:26.568Z","description":"Just because the President wore a suit that wasn't a shade of gray or blue doesn't mean you should have a problem with it","url":"https://time.com/3214633/barack-obama-tan-suit/","keywords":["Living","Barack Obama","fashion"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt21926a52f833a046/6986a16d3bc99956ec1a5189/barack-obama-tan-suit.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eric Dodds","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eric-dodds/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt21926a52f833a046/6986a16d3bc99956ec1a5189/barack-obama-tan-suit.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"President Obama Makes Statement In The Briefing Room Of White House","caption":"President Obama Makes Statement In The Briefing Room Of White House","creditText":"Alex Wong—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/time-section-living/","name":"Living"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3214633/barack-obama-tan-suit/","name":"In Defense of Barack Obama's Tan Suit"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Obama: ‘We Don’t Have A Strategy Yet’ For ISIS","description":"Obama: ‘We Don’t Have A Strategy Yet’ For ISIS","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/p9LXCR3r/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-08-28T21:41:29.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/p9LXCR3r.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3214633/barack-obama-tan-suit/","duration":"PT47S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3214633/barack-obama-tan-suit/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```