A headline at Women's Wear Daily.
Who knew Zelensky had a designer?
I ran across that article looking for confirmation of something I happened to see — here — in The Washington Post: "Even after Zelensky refused a White House request to wear a suit, Trump praised his outfit, saying, 'I think he’s dressed beautifully.'"
Zelensky was asked — in advance?! — to wear a suit?! This is the first I'm seeing that.
From Women's Wear Daily: "Zelensky turned up at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue wearing a three-button knitted long-sleeve polo shirt from [Elvira] Gasanova’s menswear label Damirli, as well as pants from the collection. She had made a special version for Zelensky with the emblem of a tryzub, a shield with a trident that is the coat of arms that Ukraine adopted in February 1991."
The above-linked WaPo column is "Zelensky must mend the breach with Trump — or resign/Zelensky's stubbornness has badly hurt Ukraine" by Marc A. Thiessen. Excerpt:
Why on earth did Zelensky choose to fact-check Trump in front of the entire world rather than debate the wisdom of a ceasefire behind closed doors?... He was in Washington to heal a breach that began with his public suggestion that Trump was living in a Russian “disinformation space” — a suggestion that prompted Trump to lash out and call Zelensky a “dictator without elections.” Why would he do it again?...
Then a Polish journalist asked Trump whether he had aligned himself too much with Putin. “You want me to say really terrible things about Putin and then say, ‘Hi, Vladimir, how are we doing on the deal?’ That doesn’t work that way.”...
There was no reason for Zelensky to comment on Vance’s anodyne intervention about the virtues of diplomacy.... “What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about?” Zelensky said, first-naming the vice president....
This should have been a backslapping, feel-good meeting celebrating the minerals deal. Instead, Zelensky hijacked the meeting... looking for opportunities to interrupt and make his points....
Did he come up with this approach on the spot and on his own? Who had he talked to, and was this a game plan?
Zelensky should have stayed in Washington until the rift was mended. Trump gave him a way out. In a Truth Social post, he said Zelensky “can come back when he is ready for Peace.” Zelensky should have seized that opening and sent Trump a handwritten note expressing his sorrow that the meeting had gone off the rails, regretting the role he played in its demise, and declaring his intention to work with Trump for peace. Instead, he refused the off-ramp Trump offered him, got on his plane and left....
Again, who advised him? Who wants this rift?
The most generous explanation of Zelensky’s conduct is that he is exhausted.... His emotions are running high, and his patience is thin....
Most generous, but I'm interested in what's most likely.
Posts
72 comments:
Of course he wore "a three-button knitted long-sleeve polo shirt from [Elvira] Gasanova’s menswear label Damirli, as well as pants from the collection. She had made a special version for Zelensky with the emblem of a tryzub, a shield with a trident that is the coat of arms that Ukraine adopted in February 1991."
The man has an Egyptian AND an Italian villa, nothing but the finest for Mama Zelensky's baby boy.
so..
How much did his designer combat fatigues cost?
4 figures? 5 ?
Women's Wear Daily? WTF?
All Z had to do was thank the Prez T and sign the deal. WTF?
This ain't rocket surgery.
Am I the only one disturbed by the fact the guy demanding billions for his war zone is wearing expensive couture gym clothes?
I once heard a famous couture designer say the biggest fashion abomination was 'dressy sweats'...
How many other villas might we not know about yet?
gilbar said, "How much did his designer combat fatigues cost?
4 figures? 5 ?"
I'm sure we spared no expense.
I have a Ukrainian acquaintance who says, through clenched teeth, the "most corrupt country".
Fashion Don’ts.
I'm much more interested in Ukraine's lies at just this moment, Dr. Weevil. Russia, such as I'm aware, hasn't asked us for a cent.
Bermudas. They always worked for me.
Suits are as trustworthy as flags around politicians.
Derbyshire says it's a war between the two most corrupt white nations on earth.
I almost don't care about how Zelensky dressed for his meeting at the White House. Roger Kimball wrote a piece for American Greatness explaining why the way he dressed was a deliberate choice intended to convey a certain image. Zelensky *does* have a suit but chose not to wear it.
In my experience - twenty-six years in pastoral ministry among Baptists, and we didn't have a dress code, and four years teaching as an adjunct in the university - dress matters. It reinforces your role. I wore dress shirt and slacks in the classroom and started wearing dress shirt and slacks in my work as a minister, especially when I visited people in the hospital. There's a reason some traditions have special garb for clergy. When I took a Communications class at Cornell they explained people tend have more respect for and trust in someone who dresses for the part.
So for what part was Zelensky dressed?
Clothes differs from brothel in only three letters.
Dr Weevil said...
"There is in fact zero evidence that Zelenskyy has taken any bribes whatsoever from anyone ..."
The old go to.
I'm not saying that a man isn't trustworthy unless he's wearing Carhartt, Dickies and Wrangler's Walmart line with suit separates purchased at Macy's, but a man wearing designer/bespoke anything has always seemed off to me. I'm not talking about guys - like football players - that need to have clothes made for them because they're sized different, just that I've known dudes who obsess over brand-name fashion, watches, and shoes etc and it just seems odd to me. To each their own I guess, but I couldn't be friends with people like that.
Zelensky is probably playing to the Globalists in the DC and Western Europe. And it seems to be working. "Poor little Zelensky, the big bad Trump made him feel bad. Here Ukraine here's another 3 billion Euros to kill Russians with."
Zellensky being asked to wear a suit could be viewed as a test in two dimensions. His choice could demonstrate independence or fealty. It could also demonstrate whether his focus was on war or looking forward to peace.
It is possible he didn’t think about the implications of his sartorial choice.
That was his dress track suit!
prompted Trump to lash out and call Zelensky a “dictator without elections." So, accurately stating the facts?
<"Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Chris Coons, D-Del., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., as well as other Democratic and Republican senators, gathered for an hourlong "encouraging" meeting with Zelenskyy ahead of his visit to the White House, the three lawmakers posted on their social media accounts.
"Just finished an encouraging meeting in Washington with President @ZelenskyyUa and a bipartisan group of Senators to discuss our ongoing partnership with Ukraine," Coons wrote on X, accompanied by a selfie with Zelenskyy, Graham and Klobuchar."
Conferring with a foreign leader on how he should try to "play" the sitting President. Logan Act violation, anyone?
I assume that Z and the Dems he met with before his WH visit believe they can shame Trump into sending troops. It's insane.
I'm glad the mineral rights deal seems dead. I don't trust that weasel in his sweat pants. He'd gin up some kind of reason for us to fight for him.
He has an amazing instinct for choosing the worst option possible over the years. We can't expect him to choose wisely now.
$210 for a simple polo shirt. More than double the price at Orvis. Now we know where those billions went. VZ should be shopping WalMart!
Zelenskyyyyy might go for designer clothes because he'd be ashamed of shopping for clothes in the kiddie department.
Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Chris Coons, D-Del., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., as well as other Democratic and Republican senators
If you read those names and think 'bipartisan' you need to stop reading the Washington Post...
When I was a younger man I was taught that in both the business world and the military the boss/leader sets the tone regarding certain fashion statements. For instance, if you're going to a function where your boss or his peers (not your peers) are wearing suit/ties, you wear suit/tie. If your boss or his peers (or your commanding officer) take off their jacket, you are permitted to remove your jacket. No tie? You're not obliged to wear one either.
The way I see it, Zelensky made a species of error in not wearing a suit, doubly so if it was requested of him. Furthermore, he's got no shortage of people and cultural advisors around him that should've made this clear. A solid pooch-screw if I ever saw one.
This is the first I'm seeing that.
I'm wondering how you missed it, it has been out for days.
You'd have a designer too, if you could play piano with your penis.
It's not a hard sell for Zelensky to get a huge majority of Americans to prefer him to Putin. He has less luck to get that same majority to prefer him over Trump. That's not to say that a majority of Democrats don't prefer him to Trump. Well, a majority of Democrats probably prefer Putin to Trump.....Both Ukraine and Russia have already lost the war. Zelensky should go for the ceasefire. Wars and ceasefires have their own momentum. I guess Zelensky thinks he's acting in the best interests of Ukraine, but there's no way he will be able to sell a majority of Americans that it's in their best interests to station troops on the Russian border..... Apparently there are some in Europe and perhaps Zelensky himself who think if they just hold on for another year, Russia will fold. The future is predictably unpredictable. We'll see how it works out.
As soon as there is peace and elections Zelensky is going to be voted out of power and almost certainly charged with crimes related to his corruption. The guy lives like a billionaire.
It is easy to predict there will be no end to the war as long as Zelensky in the dictator of Ukraine.
Rick67 said...
I almost don't care about how Zelensky dressed for his meeting at the White House. Roger Kimball wrote a piece for American Greatness explaining why the way he dressed was a deliberate choice intended to convey a certain image. Zelensky *does* have a suit but chose not to wear it.
In my experience - twenty-six years in pastoral ministry among Baptists, and we didn't have a dress code, and four years teaching as an adjunct in the university - dress matters. It reinforces your role. I wore dress shirt and slacks in the classroom and started wearing dress shirt and slacks in my work as a minister, especially when I visited people in the hospital. There's a reason some traditions have special garb for clergy. When I took a Communications class at Cornell they explained people tend have more respect for and trust in someone who dresses for the part.
This is the core point of the way he dresses.
So for what part was Zelensky dressed?
A combination Castro and Vogue.
Diplomats wear suits. He didn’t wear a suit because he didn’t intend to engage in diplomacy.
"wearing a three-button knitted long-sleeve polo shirt from [Elvira] "
Now, I can't get this bug out of my ear!
Elvira
Elvira
My heart's on fire for Elvira
Giddy up, um-poppa-um-poppa, mow, mow
Giddy up, um-poppa-um-poppa, mow, mow
High-ho silver, away
Do the troops dying in the field wear designer death outfits?
Why y'all accepting that Trump wants the deal cooked up by Zelenskyy
More likely Trump tweaked it without rejecting but Z doing song and dance about it with his emissaries inclined him to show up the little Dictator dig his own hole
Did the White House ask Elon Musk to wear a suit?
At least it's not designed by Hugo Boss.
Elvira Gasanova...
Is it just me or does that sound like a sexy Cajun swamp witch, fallen on hard times, reduced to working the pumps at full service station somewhere in Louisiana during the Carter Administration?
Which begs the question, what kind of outfit would such a woman have put together for Zelensky to wear to a WH meeting if he'd come to her for help with his wardrobe?
Elon is Tech Support!
The ROI on spending money fine-tuning Zelensky's paramilitary costume is actually pretty good, I think, even if it cost thousands of USD. His performance is the main reason anyone in the West cared about the Ukraine when Russia invaded in 2022 -- contrast with 2014, when no one gave a shit. To some extent, western politicians terrified of the spectre of Trump (and addled by years of insane conspiracy theories about Trump being a Russian agent) were primed to oppose anything Russia did -- a major contrast with earlier periods when European politicians (e.g. Gerhard Schroeder) openly went to work for the Russians upon leaving office. But in 2022, their original response was basically the same as in 2014, until public opinion dragged them slowly, from inconsequential sanctions and a government in exile, to sanctions on Russian financial institutions, to basic military material without long distance strike capability, to long range cruise missiles -- a dynamic the Ukrainians grasped early on, to the point that when Europeans initially held back on some weapons systems, the Ukrainians commented dismissively that they'd end up handing them over in the end, so why not just give them now?
None of that would have happened if Zelensky had not been extremely adept at playing this part in this costume. The ROI on that cosplay is billions and billions of USD in weapons and financial support.
That said, I think we also need to think about whether Zelensky can effectively end the war. Or would he face a kind of Kyujo Incident (when midlevel officers of the Imperial Japanese Army tried to stage a coup to prevent the acceptance of the Allied ultimatum)? And in Japan, even after the Emperor's broadcast, there was considerable concern thar field armies, particularly in China, might simply choose to fight on (they didn't, but the government in Tokyo wasn't 100% confident). It's similar to the problem of the Palestinians, where the PLO was, grudgingly, willing to make peace with Israel, but they weren't able to make Hamas or other extremist Palestinian organisations agree. If Zelensky agreed to a ceasefire, would men from Azov and the other Nazi militias -- now firmly integrted into the Ukrainian armed forces -- stand down? Or would they break away from government control and try to provoke a resumption of hostilities? I think they might!
uh - what is this?
Balfegor said, "If Zelensky agreed to a ceasefire, would men from Azov and the other Nazi militias -- now firmly integrted into the Ukrainian armed forces -- stand down? Or would they break away from government control and try to provoke a resumption of hostilities? I think they might!"
When, not if, Zelensky loses power he is at the top of a very short list for assassination over this entire debacle. The man has made significant enemies within his own military leadership not to mention hundreds of distraught families that have been destroyed permanently through loss or emigration (a distraught Ukrainian mother just recently committed a suicide bombing that killed 6 during a draft unit impressment in Odessa).
It's good Zelensky has other places to live outside Ukraine. He's gonna need them.
Did the White House ask Elon Musk to wear a suit?
Difference is, Z came here looking for handouts. Trump asked Musk to donate his time and expertise.
Begonia said...
Did the White House ask Elon Musk to wear a suit?
I don't know if anyone knows, but Trump did make his displeasure with Elon's fashion choices known after the Oval Office press conference.
"Who knew Zelensky had a designer?"
Zelensky did. And when prompted about why he wasn't wearing a suit, he proclaimed:
"I will wear a costume when the war is over."
That's how FAKE this guy is. He's sitting there literally wearing a costume that a costume designer made for him while posturing himself as above costumes while a war is ongoing.
Not another dime should be sent there by Donald Trump.
The left want to gamble with lives to draw out the war until a corrupt democrat can be installed.
The corrupt democrat left are already ramping up the cheat machine.
The software has been deleting my comments on this thread and another. Let's see if this one stays up.
As I have pointed out several times before, Ukraine is not even the most corrupt country in its neighborhood. There are professionals who track this kind of thing. You can read their (very plausible) results here: link. They list Ukraine as 105th of 180 countries, where 1 (Denmark) is best and least corrupt, 180 (South Sudan) worst and most corrupt. That puts Ukraine in the bottom half, but not the bottom third. It's tied with Serbia, ahead of Turkey (107), Belarus and Bosnia (tied at 114), and way ahead of Russia (154). The US, at 28, just misses being in the top 15%, while Russia is (just barely) in the bottom 15%. Mexico is at 140, by the way. Anyone who claims that Ukraine is the most corrupt country in the world is displaying gross ignorance.
As a general principle, caution should be taken with political figures who cultivate a look.
“Then a Polish journalist asked Trump whether he had aligned himself too much with Putin. “You want me to say really terrible things about Putin and then say, ‘Hi, Vladimir, how are we doing on the deal?’ That doesn’t work that way.”
So President Trump treats Putin with a measure of respect because he wants to negotiate a deal.
But Zelensky has been given billions of dollars, wants more US involvement in Ukraine and doesn’t feel the need to treat both President Trump and VP Vance with respect? Coke induced delusions of grandeur. He needs to resign.
Elon doesn't wear a suit because tech doesn't work that way. I was sent to a Motorola plant in Dublin 25 years ago as an outside IT consultant for a big transition (Celestica bought theplant and we were overseeing the switch). My boss made me wear a suit. First day on the job, the head of IT told me "lose the suit, that's not how we do things here" It soon because apparent that the higher you were on the tech hierarchy, the worse you were expected to dress. There was a fat man who wore stained Simpsons t-shirts, and I was warned to stay clear of him. "He's a fuckin' God he is!. Manages the Unix cluster" they told me.
BTW, had Zelensky worn a suit, he would have presented a more polite version of himself.
Re: When to wear a suit, I am reminded of the infamous Althouse blog post when all the bloggers met Bill Clinton. They were inappropriately dressed as well. When you meet the President, you wear a suit. It's always better to be over- than under-dressed.
Balfegor @1:26pm
The reason why nobody gave a shit in 2014 was that was prior to Hunter, Burisma, and the Biden Crime Family's move into Ukrainian corruption.
When Zelensky initially got out to greet Trump, I remembered thinking that he needed a good suitcoat to wear with the outfit. At the beginning, people didn't know what was going to happen and his adoption of military garb - as a 'costume' - made some sense. His not wearing a suit after specifically being asked set up an either/or scenario. Had he adopted a 'suitlike' costume - but ignored the tie request - he would have signalled he was willing to work with the US but still his own man. What is the designer getting paid for if not to help with dressing him in individual situations...
People who say "Zelenskyy played a piano with his penis!" sound a lot like the people who said "Reagan once co-starred with a chimpanzee!". That may sound like a good reason not to vote someone into high office, but in fact Reagan demonstrated that you can be quite a good president even if you once co-starred with a chimpanzee.
Of course, Zelenskyy may have once pretended to play a piano with his penis for laughs, but I'm sure he was only pretending - or 'acting', as it's called. I don't believe it's physically possible to play a piano with your penis without serious damage, at least if playing means making an audible sound.
I once saw an actor prance around the stage at the local Shakespeare theater going on about having his dick in a box. (It was interlude entertainment at a Christmas performance of Santaland Diaries, which is not for children.) The audience found it hilarious. I occasionally run into that actor on the street (it's a small town) and I'm not the slightest bit embarrassed, because I know that his dick was not in the box and there was zero chance that the box would slip and said dick would appear.
The chimp sized Track Suit Trotsky got chumped by his Democrat party advisors. Trump controls the dough--or at least the flow of it. The Dims control nothing these days. You don't go and make a mess on the carpet of your host--particularly when you asked for the meeting. Massive failure to read the situation. That said this failed comic supposedly now has villas in both Egypt and Italy and I suspect healthy bank accounts in Switzerland. Being President for Life of Ukraine is a pretty good gig. Doncha know there's a war on?
Elvira
Elvira
Yo hair’s on fire
Elvira
So far from being a "failed comic", Zelenskyy was quite successful in a wide range of acting roles. He "supposedly now has villas in both Egypt and Italy" only if you believe Russian propaganda that has proven false over and over. There is no evidence whatsoever that he has stolen any money to put in a "healthy bank accounts in Switzerland", either. Why do people keep repeating things they've heard without even trying to find out if they're true?
Among the more direct means of displaying gross ignorance is linking to Wikipedia articles on political subjects. To blithely promote as objective an opinion that reinforces one's own prejudices is another.
Politics are not objective by definition, nor is political corruption. To numerically quantify political corruption is an exercise in non-objectivity. It's like rating beautiful women. Is Ivanka Trump a 10 or just a measly 9.5? We can be confident the more Republican-leaning the rater, the higher Ivanka rates compared to the score given by a diehard Democrat.
In the case of Transparency International, a Berlin-based NGO and the "authority" cited Dr. Weevil to excoriate those whose prejudices regarding Ukraine conflict with his own, I find it interesting that they rate France, Czechia, Belgium, Holland, Austria, Hungary, Romania, basically all of the EU except for Scandinavia and Luxembourg as more corrupt than Germany. Quelle surprise. The Führer himself would approve. Looking still deeper into Transparency International I have found the organization less than transparent regarding who does the rating and how they resolve uncertainties. But I have discovered they like to bestow awards on one another according to how high the recipient ranks in the T.I. org chart. That wasn't surprising.
"Elon doesn't wear a suit because tech doesn't work that way."
Tech involves crawling under things from time to time.
Zelinskyy wore a suit at WEF: https://x.com/TRHLofficial/status/1895909770017878095
I ain't much on Gasanova
Me and Cokehead Z ain't never been friends
Can't you see how much we really want peace?
Gonna tell it to you time and time again
Oh, Gasanova
Gasanova
Trump not only addresses a joint session of congress tomorrow night, he speaks to the entire world, and all will be listening. It will further illustrate the small minded, corrupt ridiculousness of small minded Democrats and their BFF, Zelensky.
but in fact Reagan demonstrated that you can be quite a good president even if you once co-starred with a chimpanzee... Of course, Zelenskyy may have once pretended to play a piano with his penis for laughs
How does someone even compare Reagan and Zelensky? Reagan brought down the USSR without a shot being fired. There was no war with 1.5 million dead. Thatcher and John Paul II helped him.
Penis playing Zelensky on the other hand turned down a deal for peace at the beginning of this war. Could have kept territories Ukraine will now lose to Russia. Could have saved a million plus lives.
Reagan wouldn't have provoked or poked the bear inviting Ukraine into NATO.
Dr. Weasel's comparison requires more stretching than playing a piano with your penis.
Gutsy Winds (sounds like a euphemism for flatulence) utterly misses my point, which is that being a comic actor, even one who has done silly or embarrassing roles, is not in fact a disqualification for politics. Do I have to explain that again? Because it's a very simple point, and does not in any way imply that I'm saying they are equivalent in other ways.
As for the "deal for peace at the beginning of the war" Zelenskyy seems to have pissed off Trump by pointing out that Putin has broken every deal he has ever made. That is a simple fact, and signing that deal would not have saved any lives. Only a defeat of Russia can end this war.
in the 80s, there was the Nuclear Freeze, certainly fertilized if not utterly conjured up by the Soviets, almost every democrat figure of note Biden Pelosi, Obama Pannetta subscribed to in, in fact one might argue the Day After was a propaganda piece directed at Reagan's strong stance, bolstered by real Soviet experts like Dr Richard Pipes and General Rowny, and that was related to the relatively benign Pershing Missile deployments among other measure,
the late Jonathan Schell, the sadly still alive Robert Scheer were the pinnacle of that effort,
RJ said, "Zelinskyy wore a suit at WEF: https://x.com/TRHLofficial/status/1895909770017878095"
Ask a man what his priorities are and he'll usually show you.
Balfegor-
My recollection is that what got America's attention in 2022 was not Z's attire, but his kickass statement, "I don;t need a ride. I need ammo."
In any case, he has no shortage of clothing, and we have given him plenty of ammo.
Time to try something else.
Like diplomacy.
Zelinskyy wore a suit?!? OMG!!!! Too bad the date of the picture is visible on the podium: 2020. He often wore a suit before the war, but since evading two separate Russian assassination teams on the first day, and more since, as his country is bombed every night, with the bombs specifically aimed at civilian targets, he's dressed as a wartime leader, to show solidarity with his people.
Post a Comment
Comments older than 2 days are always moderated. Newer comments may be unmoderated, but are still subject to a spam filter and may take a few hours to get released. Thanks for your contributions and your patience.