This photo, taken in the corridors of the Assemblée Nationale, was posted on Friday, July 19, by radical left La France Insoumise MP Raphaël Arnault on his X account. In it, the new MP is flanked by fellow MPs Aly Diouara (to his right), Carlos Martens Bilongo and Sébastien Delogu (to his left). Accompanied by the caption "RN pas content" ("Rassemblement National not happy"), referring to the far-right political party, the image provoked a flood of unusually violent comments.
So what do we see here, from our modest sartorial point of view? Firstly, that it's summer. Three of the four LFI MPs are dressed in light-colored suits, which is out of place given the usual dominance of navy blue among French politics, and reminds us that Barack Obama himself stirred up considerable controversy exactly 10 years ago when he appeared at a press briefing wearing a beige suit (the episode even has its own Wikipedia page). "There's no way, I don't think, any of us can excuse what the president did yesterday," had said a member of the Republican Party, "I mean, you have the world watching." Oh my.
What else do we see? That the tie is going through a strange political crisis. Here, the two re-elected MPs, Bilongo and Delogu, are wearing them. The newcomers, Diouara and Arnault, have gone without. Outgoing Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has taken it off since becoming a simple MP again, to, he says, "no longer be above the French, but with them." The RN's elected representatives are clinging to it, on party leader Marine Le Pen's orders, on the lookout for the slightest trick to gain respectability. In short, by saying everything, the tie no longer says anything.
Arnault is wearing tassel loafers. This comes as quite a surprise, as the model is commonly considered right wing. And, if tassel loafers are more right wing than ordinary loafers, does that mean that tassels are right wing? Let's look at the facts: It was in 1980 in the US that the model's reputation was firmly established. In the midst of the presidential campaign, the Reagan camp referred to George H. W. Bush supporters as as "tasseled-loafer guys."
But the most important thing about this image is what you don't see. Firstly, that you can slouch on a bench at the end of the day without threatening the Republic. Secondly, that the clothes worn by politicians are an indication of their communication and culture, but not of their value or morality, since we've seen well-dressed crooks on parade... But also, that an MP's job doesn't consist of posting a photo on X and adding, obviously with full awareness, a little message that will go down well with their fans and strike a chord with others. In short, we're not out of the woods yet.
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.