CNN
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Fashion may not be the first to come to mind when thinking about the Pope’s legacy, but Pope Francis, who passed away on Monday, had a sense of individual style. This doesn’t include a white puff jacket (AI) like Balenciaga, but instead he’s an inappropriate cream cassock and wise black leather shoes.
Francis’ footwear selection was first noted by the New York Times just 24 hours after being elected in 2013. He observed that he “dramatically shifted the tone of the Pope” with his black shoes. He quickly became known for his simple and often unadorned Regalia, in contrast to his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI.
The praise for Francis’ style soon followed. Kat declared Francis the “Normcore Pope” of the world due to his “simple and non-freely” approach to dressing. He also became the first Pope to land a Rolling Stone Cover, dubbed by Esquire as “Best Dressman” in 2013. Countless memes and unauthorized Etsy March come in and appear on Faux ’90s bootleg design t-shirts, sweatshirts and mugs.
“Bradley Cooper, Chris Pine and Joseph Gordon Levitt are all spending Banner years, but their choice of service begins and ends on the proverb red carpet,” writes Max Berlinger of Esquire. “On the other hand, Pope Francis’s decision to serve subtly informs the new era (and many new hopes) of the Catholic Church.”
This feature was one of Esquire’s most performant stories, and was later invited to several morning news programs to explain his controversial decision (he declined).
“I thought it was cool and worth mentioning,” he told CNN in a phone interview. “The Pope before him wore a lot of really gorgeous and expensive clothes. (Francis) went to prison and washed the prisoners’ feet. I remember thinking this was part of a bigger change and that his clothes were visual manifestations.”
Before the Pope Conclave in 2013, Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergolio, was not even considered one of the top three frontrunners for the job. He was modest and humble, and seemed to have mostly flew under the radar. However, it was partly a modest attitude, which was very different from his predecessors and sparked interest. “As the archbishop of Buenos Aires, Bergolio was not a particularly talented public speaker,” wrote Mark Vinelli in a Rolling Stone cover story. “But now, since he is Pope Francis, his recognizable humanity becomes actively revolutionary.”
Francis’ style was often read as a show of his humility or asceticism, but Carol Richardson, a church and art historian at the University of Edinburgh, said the contrast between the two Pope’s attire represents a deeper difference in their views on their role as head of the Catholic Church.
“Benedict XVI played around with various periods of time through what he wore,” she explained in a video call. “As a traditionalist,[he]was advocating for the historical continuity of the Pope.”
According to Richardson, by appearing in early Christian chusbulls (sleeveless outer vests worn between chunks) and ancient Roman palliums (cloth bands that loop around the neck), he claimed a “unbroken link” from Jesus to the first Pope to Benedict himself.
Francis, the first Jesuit pope, appeared to have a different prioritization, and Richardson said he observed that the Jesuits (originally known as the Jesus Society) “have a tendency to study language, philosophy, theology, history and rhetoric. “So there are practical applications that outweigh theoretical or historical interests.”
Despite the minimization of Francis’ symbolism, his all-white dress made sense. White and red are the main colors of the Pope’s dress, white represents purity and charity, and red represents compassion and sacrifice.
There is no requirement for the Pope on shoe color, but the socks were traditionally white or red. (Francis wore black; Benedict, crisp white). The colour of his shoes, the black, does not have any official symbolism, but Richardson pointed out that Franciscan monks who preach poverty and charity are known for wearing black shoes and sandals.
“(They) are the shoes he would probably have worn as a priest,” she said.
When the Ai-generated image of Francis dressed in high-fashion streetwear went viral, the portrayal was particularly ridiculous to the sacred leader, not to mention style. However, Richardson saw the truthful hints as to why the hoax photos resonated just like internet users.
“It was a fake, but it was still a gentle compliment for the Pope who follows tradition… and it was also the fact that they are priests of the world as they are today,” she said. “(It’s) about understanding the past and present and moving into the future.”
