Old School Dress for Diplomats?
Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski has long been noted for his snappy dress sense. The dapper diplomat, who was once a member of Oxford University's most aristocratic (and debauched) drinking club, is fond of sporting overcoats with snazzy velvet collars. Indeed, he's one of few Polish MPs who looks like he'd be happy to dispose of his income on Savile Row.
However, according to Wprost magazine, the Minister would like to give the entire diplomatic corps a fashion overhaul. Top of the list would be a return to noblemen's dress of the seventeenth century. Fur hats, velvet robes and silk sash belts would be in for a comeback, and if things were really done properly, sabres would be obligatory.
Although noblemen continued to wear such garments - largely at weddings - right up until the Second World War, the style is rarely seen in Poland today. Landowners lost their properties with the coming of communism, and the most famed tailors disappeared off the map. Meanwhile, today's nobles rarely have enough cash to splash out on such luxuries, and only Krakow's ancient fowler guild (a merchant's association) can afford to commission such togs.
Although one or two tailors would no doubt love to have a bash, it's unlikely that Polish national dress will make a comeback at public functions. And of course, to really carry off the style, you need to look as if you could slay a passing squadron of Tatar warriors and still have the stamina to sink a barrel of mead. In short, today's ambassadors don't fit the bill. That said, Walesa could be just the man.