FILE PHOTO: U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reacts as he meets with El Salvador Defense Minister Rene Merino Monroy at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 16, 2025. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Photo
A menswear writer known for picking apart politicians’ clothes had a short verdict on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s look at a recent Army conference.
“This looks undignified,” wrote Derek Guy, a menswear writer and editor at Put This On whose bylines include The New York Times, Bloomberg, the Financial Times, Politico, Esquire and Mr Porter.
Guy posted Getty Images photos by Kevin Dietsch from the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual meeting in Washington on Oct. 14. Hegseth joined the military service secretaries there for a panel on autonomous warfare, Defense One reported.
In the photos, Hegseth sits on stage in a bright blue suit and striped tie with his legs crossed, showing loud patterned socks and brown shoes. The men beside him are in darker, more conservative suits.
His socks caught attention at the event itself. Anna Ahronheim, defense and tech editor at The Jerusalem Post, noted that day that Hegseth was wearing socks with the American flag on them. “But if the flag is also on the soles of his feet…is he not disrespecting the flag that he has sworn to protect?” she wrote.
The panel was memorable for more than the outfit. Protesters repeatedly interrupted Hegseth’s remarks and were removed from the room, Stars and Stripes reported.
Guy, who has more than 1.5 million followers on X, has built a large audience by critiquing how public figures dress, including some members of the Trump administration.
this looks undignified https://t.co/8yLV4WPfW8
— derek guy (@dieworkwear) October 31, 2026
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