Gaddafi's outfit reflects eccentric character

It is very hard to separate the character of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi from the eccentric clothes for which he has always been known for, both reflecting a peculiar disposition and a keenness to stand out.

The world’s oldest ruling leader ranked fifth among the 10 worst-dressed heads of state according to a survey conducted by the Time magazine. However, wherever the Libyan leader goes, he is definitely the most eye-catching and the most controversial.

Gaddafi went through various stages as far as his outfit was concerned. At the beginning of his rule, he used to stick to the military uniform as he wanted to mainly pose as the “colonel” and freedom fighter who strives to achieve Arab unity.

After that, the colonel’s style took a different turn when he started adding prints of the African continent to his clothes, a move that coincided with his keenness to establish African unity, which made him crown himself as Africa's King of Kings.

Despite tending to introduce new trends, Gaddafi has never given up the military uniform entirely, but tended to diversify its colors. For example, the uniform would be white with golden threads at times and dark blue or gold and black at other times.

Sometimes, Gaddafi maintained the military cap while wearing other clothes that usually looked like those worn by parachutists while at other times he opted for sportswear.

One time, in a footage attributed to the American NBC network, Gaddafi was even seen combing his hair and in another footage he was wearing peasants’ clothes and driving a tractor.


(Translated from Arabic by Sonia Farid)