Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was selected as the most fashionable figure at the Group of Eight annual summit in Canada, a leading Canadian newspaper reported Friday.
The Globe and Mail reported Koizumi was chosen for the honor by Canadian menswear designers. The summit was held Wednesday and Thursday in the Canadian Rockird resort of Kananaskis, Alberta.
"Mr. Koizumi's two-button gray suit shows just a hint of cuff, and the shoulder fits very well," said Douglas Mandel, a designer from Montreal.
"He looks the best in his outfit. His hair is soft and relaxed. There is a cool, understated confidence and strength in his stance," Mandel said. "The suit does not distract from who he is."
Another Canadian designer, Harry Rosen, also praised Koizumi. "Look at the tie. It is perfectly knotted into a neat triangle," he said. "He's the only one to my mind who looks like a leader."
British Prime Minister Tony Blair ranked second after Koizumi as "the most stylish G8 dresser."
"The suit is young and tailored and portrays the image that Blair is trying to exude of the new, modern leader," Mandel said.
In contrast, U.S. President George W. Bush received low marks for his outfits. Zanesha Gowrali, a designer from Toronto, said, "He needs to take an inch out of the shoulders to look less militaristic."
The leader chosen as "least kempt" was Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, who hosted the summit. His style was "a national disgrace," according to the paper.
"Mr. Chretien lost sartorial points for his two-button, single-breasted jacket with wide lapels that was so loose and baggy it threatened to fall off his shoulders during a summit photo op," the paper said.