Gaddafi Fashion: The Emperor Has Some Crazy Clothes

From www.time.com

Star Power

While a military look offers Gaddafi a "command and control" presence, the weight of the ornamentation can't be good for the life of the fabric. Here, he welcomes guests at a military parade in Tripoli, Libya, on Sept. 1, 2009.


African Cool

This shade of yellow, worn during the opening of the African Heads of State summit in Addis Ababa on Feb. 2, 2009, is great for hiding mustard stains.


From Day to Night

Gaddafi looks like he is ready for A Night at the Roxbury while welcoming French President Nicolas Sarkozy to Tripoli, Libya, on July 25, 2007.


No He Didn't

You might ask why Gaddafi would dress in head-to-toe purple for the closing session of an African leaders' summit in Khartoum, Sudan, on Jan. 24, 2006. But the more relevant inquiry is, Why not go velvet? We think George Costanza would agree.


Snuggie?

We don't think the telemarketed wearable blanket was for sale in 2004, when Gaddafi took a stroll with his then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdurrahman Mohamed Shalgham. But this outfit does make Gaddafi appear to be a fashion-forward-looking leader.


Holiday

Tourists generally get a bad rap for their clothing. And Gaddafi does seem to be phoning in his look with this sheepskin jacket–fur hat combo, worn during a visit to Versailles in 2007. But it's still better than sweats and sneakers.


Epaulet-ic

The military look seems to be Gaddafi's de facto plan for public appearances, like at this 2008 press conference (for good measure, his shirt boasts images of fellow Arab nationalists like Egypt's Gamal Abdel Nasser). It a pretty good way to remind your people of who is in charge.


Black and White

Gaddafi made his first visit to Italy, Libya's former colonial master, in 2009. He greeted Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi with a photograph of Omar Mukhtar, a Libyan resistance fighter who was hanged by Italian forces in 1931, wearing it pinned to his chest like a medal for an extra bit
of chutzpah.


Carefully Woven Image

This shirt, worn during Gaddafi's arrival at an African Heads of State summit in Maputo, Mozambique, on July 10, 2003, features images of freedom fighters, a bold sartorial move. It would have been bolder still if he had included his own picture on the shirt.


Bling, Boom

Two years before a 2010 Forum of the Kings, Sultans, Princes, Sheiks and Mayors of Africa in Tripoli, Libya, Gaddafi proclaimed himself "King of Kings of Africa." But he probably didn't "ascend the throne" just for the jewelry. That was a bonus.


The Beat of His Own Drum

Most world leaders attend major summits in somber, dark suits. But being unconstrained by convention, Gaddafi went white on black for a group photo during the G-8 summit in L'Aquila,
Italy, on July 10, 2009.


Standing Out in a Crowd

In another ensemble worn during the G-8 summit in L'Aquila, Gaddafi looks dressed for the evening-gown portion ... of a beauty contest for sofas. It's unclear whether the outfit has piqued U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's curiosity or is simply too close for comfort.