Dictator Chic

Glenn Reynolds links to The Manolo who discusses Dictator Chic. I'm crying, his sartorial assessment is so funny. And do we need humor today? Yes. We. Do.

Here's a snippet, but do yourself a favor and read the whole thing. Here's what Mr. Superfabulous says about the North Korean beloved leader:

Of the course, the alternative to the gangster look, it is to affect the Bond-villainous style favored by the Asian tyrants, such as the Kim Jong-Il who wears the jump suit, the pompadour, the outsized sunglasses, and the four-inch platform heels. Is he ruling the reclusive hermit kingdom, or preparing to do the karaoke medley of the Tom Jones greatest hits?

And consider the Fidel and the "loathsome Saddam":

But like many peoples, the Fidel never evolved beyond the styles of his youth. And as he grew into old age he still dressed as the young revolutionary. Worse, when he did put on the adult clothes it was to don the typical dark suit of the commissar/pimp— pin-stripes, double-breasted, big shoulder pads, and presumably the two-toned spectator shoes —as if he were the swarthy Sky Masterson in the Byelorussian community theater production of the Guys and the Dolls.

Such deplorable gangster clothes, however, are normal for the tyrants as the class. Consider the loathsome Saddam, who dressed like the debt collector for the second-rate loan shark.

The best is Mr. Good Hair of Iran, but you'll have to go read the rest of the story for that.