Is Peter Dutton or Anthony Albanese more fashionable?

“With Dutton the soft blue tie and navy suit speaks to his traditional and conservative approach to politics, and sends a message that he’s reliable, trustworthy, dependable.”

While the repeated H print on Albanese’s ties suggests a recent trip to a Hermes boutique, where similar ties start at $430, the PM wears it with the democratic air of a Jetstar flight attendant.

“You can envisage at the end of the day his jacket thrown over the modular lounge, revealing a relaxed persona underneath,” says Sydney stylist Ken Thompson. “The look is solid, with just enough punch in the tie colour to say, ‘I’m always up for a second opinion on this look.’ An egalitarian clothing success story.

“Running the gamut of the entire blue Pantone section, Dutton prefers a surety in his AM/PM attire.”

High-vis vests

Kissing babies on the election trail has been replaced by wearing high-vis safety apparel, with politicians increasingly eager to indulge in construction work cosplay.

“You can see a twinkle in Dutton’s eyes with the multi-tiered meaning of donning a high-vis vest to echo on-the-job essentials,” Thompson says.

While McKinnon commends Albanese for removing his jacket when wearing the vest, “It shows a willingness to get his hands dirty”, Lack thinks both men could take things further.

“I’d take the ties off for high-vis activities and roll up the shirt sleeves; this feels more relatable,” he says.

While the vests are donned on the run by our leaders, thrown over their business attire, it’s a missed opportunity to support Australian workwear brands or at least demonstrate personality with a co-ordinating construction hat.

Sausage sizzle chic

While both Albanese and Dutton can deftly handle a sausage in a set of tongs, their outfits arouse suspicions about whether either man has participated in the national ritual of visiting a Bunnings hardware store on the weekend.

Albanese’s lairy BBQ attire features a polo-shirt covered in logos ticking off key demographics, with a snug dad-bod fit. Dutton’s selection of a blue business shirt is an invitation for splatters of fat and tomato sauce that would challenge most stain removers.

Dutton wore a dark polo shirt from New Zealand label Rodd & Gunn in his campaign video, while playing backyard soccer in thongs, but he might have forgotten to pack it for his BBQ photo opportunity.

The missing ingredient for both politicians is an apron, which obviously ranks lower than a high-vis vest in the working leaders’ wardrobe.

The verdict

If the ambition of Albanese and Dutton is to fly beneath the fashion radar, like the latest menswear collection from Lowes, then both men are winners.

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“Perhaps it’s because the world is on fire currently that the fashion barely registers,” says Melbourne stylist and formerVogue editor Anthea O’Connor.

“Not since Paul Keating have I been impressed by a politician’s wardrobe,” adds Lack. “At least doing the rounds in high-vis covers some of it up.”

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