Brian Cahn/ZUMA
With Election Day less than a month away, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is hitting the campaign trail to stump for Republican candidates. On Wednesday he’ll be in Virginia with Senate candidate Ed Gillespie and congressional hopeful David Brat. He’ll be in New Hampshire on Thursday with former Sen. Scott Brown. He’s been in North Carolina with Rep. Walt Jones and Senate nominee Thom Tillis, and Kansas with Sen. Pat Roberts and Gov. Sam Brownback.
But for Paul, fall is about something more than just laying the groundwork for a 2016 presidential campaign. It’s turtleneck season.
He’s taken his licks in the past. An otherwise flattering profile in Vogue mocked his “dad jeans” and “notorious sartorial taste.” That’s one way of looking at it. Another—more accurate—way of looking at it is that Rand Paul is the leading fashion visionary of DC, nay, the world. The Nebuchadnezzar of Normcore, Sultan of the Sartorial, the Thelonius of Threads.
Here’s a quick guide.
Pleated khakis, blue-gray Polo Ralph Lauren sweater, black turtleneck, in October 2010:
Black blazer, black turtleneck, button, January 2012:
Blazer, black turtleneck, Ray-Bans. Burger by In-N-Out. En route to the Reagan library in 2013:
Olive-green sweater vest, black turtleneck, button, while discussing the mythical NAFTA Superhighway in Montana, winter 2008:
Trenchcoat, split-pea vest, black turtleneck:
Metallic tan blazer, black turtleneck, while discussing taxation on Kentucky Tonight in 2008:
Pleated khakis, black blazer, metallic blueberry on creamsicle, fall 2010:
Navy denim shirt with gold-standard combo:
Christmas:
Technicolor dreamcoat while grabbing lunch with Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), August 2014:
Blazer, tie, JNCO jeans, 2012:
Candy-striped belt with JNCOs:
So where does he get his style from? We’ve got one guess:
