He rides around in a bulletproof, chauffeured BMW, only wears custom Italian clothing and a huge gold cross, and draws huge crowds of fans. No, I’m not talking about Kanye. Not even Drake. I’m talking about the Vatican’s (former) number one man, Pope Benedict XVI.
Pope Benedict is arguably the most stylish Pope we’ve seen in a long time. Those iconic red shoes, the fur-trimmed cape – oh, and that gold ring was just to die for.
For the first time in recent memory, the Pope was making headlines for his choice of attire. For years it was reported that Pope Benedict’s signature red loafers were made by Prada. Of course there were critics, but I felt like I finally had something in common with the guy. Not that I own any Prada shoes, but I felt like he admired fashion and was aspiring to be the most stylish guy in Vatican City.
But news broke this week that God’s most stylish messenger may not actually be so fashion forward. Those Prada shoes – well, they’re not Prada. They are made by a Peruvian shoe maker who has a little shop in Vatican City. But you know, that’s not that bad. I wouldn’t mind a pair of custom Moroccan-leather red loafers. Maybe the Pope is still stylish after all.
And I’m not the only one who thinks God graced him with a keen fashion sense. In 2007 Esquire magazine named him “accessorizer of the year.” He must be proud of himself, that’s quite the accomplishment.
Esquire highlighted his red shoes and ornate papal habit, but there is also something to be said about those dark black sunglasses he rocked during his papacy. They’re so rock n’ roll.
But you decide: Did the Pope wow you with his holy wardrobe or did he bore you to tears?
(Apologies to my Irish Catholic family members who will no doubt be offended when they read this)
