Justin Trudeau Wore Brown Shoes with a Blue Suit at the White House

Justin Trudeau (left) with Barack Obama in the Oval Office.
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

We’re not saying it’s wrong, mind you, but we are rather fascinated by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau‘s choice of shoes while meeting President Barack Obama yesterday at the White House. Obama went with the typical dark blue suit and black shoes, but Trudeau went with a three-piece suit and some crazy brown cap-toes. You might even call them tan.

Well, he’s known for his style, it turns out. Just like his dad!

(Photo: Mulder, Cor / ANP — via the National Archives of The Netherlands)

Here’s old dad, former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, reviewing troops in The Netherlands in 1975. Lookin’ crisp!

(Photo by Rob Mieremet / Anefo, via the Dutch National Archives)

And here he was later that same trip in a pinstripe suit, mod tie and rose boutonniere. Very snappy. So perhaps it’s no surprise that Justin Trudeau carries a little style of his own.

Justin Trudeau also reviewed troops yesterday, four decades after his dad.

The troop review begins at the 4:00 mark of the video. But jump ahead to the 8:50 mark for the livelier portion, the performance by the U.S. Army’s Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps. Nice!

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Then jump ahead to the 16:45 mark to hear President Obama trolling Prime Minister Trudeau about the Canadian national pastime:

“Now I don’t want to gloss over the very real differences between Americans and Canadians. There are some things we will probably never agree on. Whose beer is better. Who’s better at hockey. Where’s the Stanley Cup right now? I’m sorry, is it in my home town with the Chicago Blackhawks? In case you were wondering. In case you Canadians were wondering.”

Heh! He has a great touch with that kind of humor.

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Later they held babies, as politicians will…

(Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

…and just stood together, lookin’ good. (Those brown shoes again!) This surely must be the skinniest president/prime minister combo ever… or at least since the 1800s?  Trudeau weighs 180 pounds and Obama weighed 175 at his recent checkup.

That means that the two of them, together, equal just about the weight of 340-pound President William Howard Taft.

William Howard Taft in 1911. (U.S. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)

But let’s give it up for Taft: also a very snappy dresser indeed. Let’s see Trudeau or Obama break out the white vest and pince-nez specs.

Now see more photos of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau »