There are a lot of reasons to criticize New York City Mayor Eric Adams—but his wardrobe really shouldn’t isn’t one of them—according to Civil Rights leader Al Sharpton.
A new story in the New York Times style section takes a deep dive into Adams’ tailored outfits and asks: How does he “maintain a collection of bespoke suits on a mayor’s salary?”
For a month, NYT followed Adams’ style and stated: “Almost since the mayor’s arrival at Gracie Mansion — he wore a navy suit and blue shirt with a contrasting white collar the day he was sworn in — speculation emerged on just how big a dent his wardrobe makes in his $258,000 salary. On the lowest end, a custom suit can be made for just under a thousand dollars.”
Following The New York Times piece, Mayor Mike Bloomberg aide Howard Wolfson called the attacks on Adams racist.
“I’m old enough to remember when David Dinkins was called a ‘fancy schvartze’ because he dressed too well. History repeats,” Wolfson posted on X.
Legendary civil rights activist Al Sharpton also chimed in on the bizarre and unfair scrutiny.
“This nonsense about who pays for his suits and what kind of suits he wears . . . that’s the same game y’all played with [David] Dinkins,” Sharpton reporterdly stated during a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event in Harlem on Monday. “When he was wearing too many tuxedos, and going to too many events, I guess black men are supposed to walk around with ripped jeans and showing their underwear?
“Let us judge the man the way you judge any other man in the United States by his work and his wardrobe.”
Of course, Sharpton’s memory is long and also spoke about how Black people have always been policed when it comes to appearance. Anyone remember President Obama’s tan suit or Michelle’s bangs?
“They play the same playbook . . . when I was young and wore tracksuits and hung out with Spike Lee and Run-DMC and all of that, it was tracksuit out. When I got old and put on a suit to do a TV show, ‘Oh now he dresses.’ Why do y’all judge us by what we dress rather than what we address?”
We doubt the commentary around Adams’ clothes will stop, which is sad—because there are much bigger things to worry about when it comes to his administration.
