28 August 2008

Letting his freak flag fly

London mayor Boris Johnson recounts the reason for his unbuttoned suit jacket at the Olympics closing ceremony in Beijing, which has occasioned comment from sartorially conservative commentators:
 
"I rolled my shoulders like Rocky and rehearsed the agenda again in my head," he recounts. "What could possibly go wrong? Take flag, get red circle out to left, wave four times, hand flag to flag bearer. Piece of cake. Just as I had it taped, just as I was in the zone, I became aware of a chap beaming and pointing at his midriff."

Johnson weighed up the situation after several people urged him to do up his button. He decided to ignore the lot of them and rationalised his style choice as a reflection of his "policy of openness, transparency and individual freedom". But he did check if there was an Olympic jacket button protocol first. "I reached instinctively for my middle button first, and then sought, 'Sod it.'"
 
- Guardian, 28 August 2008

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