The 7 Most Ridiculously Stylish Dictators

Mobutu Sese Seko

The deceased dictator of Zaire truly mastered the art of “animal print in moderation”. While so many err in overly festooning themselves in leopard, zebra or snakeskin, Mobutu Sese Seko successfully embraced the exotic in an accessory form. The venti Starbucks cup to Mary Kate Olsen’s waif-like frame, Sese Seko’s animal print hat served as the African dictator’s right hand man when even his military wouldn’t protect his own head. And hey, anyone who can make Richard Nixon look remotely cool is worthy of study.

Kim Jong-Il

No list of fashionable dictators could be complete without the inclusion of Kim Jong-Il. Equal parts androgynous, industrial and minimal, the North Korean ruler’s day looks aren’t that dissimilar to your average Helmut Lang spread. Utilizing the “less is more” approach to his signature style of welfare and fashion, the luxe legacy of the late dictator’s oversized shades, love of blacks and neutrals and perennially nonplussed expressions lives on in socialites traipsing about the streets of New York’s Upper East Side.