Who Was Jakarta's Best-Dressed Governor?

Anies Baswedan and Sandiaga Uno were looking pretty "gubernatorial" in their dress whites yesterday. The uniforms, which, honestly, look more than a bit uncomfortable, are a variation of the standard military-style outfits worn by all public servants in Indonesia.

But it's not their uniforms that we remember our elected officials by—it's their personal style. Today's elected officials use their sartorial choices as a form of branding. Sukarno had his suit, peci, and black shades, but the country took a decidedly boring turn during the New Order where everyone dressed in either a simple batik or a suit and tie.

Thankfully, the Reformasi era marked a return of personalized style. Now we've got Jokowi's checkered shirts, Prabowo's safari shirt, and Dedi Mulyadi's Sundanese outfits. Since everyone gets to choose their own outfits, we can totally judge them on their fashion choices right? I know, I know, you're thinking "who the hell does this girl think she is?" Just someone who watched way too many episodes of Fashion Police. I know my limits, so I got ahold of Nandya Gita, a legit stylist, to help me judge the fashion sense of men who ran the capital for the last 20 years.

Bang Yos was governor for so long that I literally grew up during his term in City Hall. When he entered office in 1997 I was a one-year-old girl. When he left in 2007 I had already seen "2 Girls 1 Cup"—and trust me nothing makes you grow up faster than that.

Sutiyoso will forever be remembered as the man who gave us the TransJakarta bus system. But I'll always remember him for something else—his impeccable sense of style. I'm someone who believes that the suit makes the man (or woman). Does any other outfit scream style like a black suit?

But his style was more than just a suit. He almost always wore a glossy tie. Maybe I have a gloss bias, I don't know, but I genuinely think this was a smart move. A glossy tie is just more versatile. If you have reservations for a candle-light dinner or a church event, you can feel confident and just go. I wish more people wore glossy ties. Matte is dead!

By wearing the same suite everywhere, I believe Sutiyoso was trying to say, "look at me! I'm the one with the busway!" If I invented an entire transportation network, I would dress in a sharp suit too. But when he left City Hall for the secretive halls of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) he switched it up, swapping that black suit jacket for leather and suede. Swoon. The man is seriously my role model.

Tata's take: With his black suit and dark, patterned ties, Sutiyoso wanted to show that he's firm and classy. The striped ties made his style stand out. The monochrome combination of his suit and shirt was balanced with a fun and laid-back striped tie.

Rating: 4/5

Fauzi Bowo was Jakarta governor between 2007-2017. Turns out we share one thing in common: both of us studied architecture. But thank God, I had never been in his position of power and still let Jakarta get totally flooded.

I do like his outfits, though. Many of you may not realize this, but Betawi traditional outfit look just like "gakuran," aka the high school uniform Japanese boys wear. So just like the suits of Sutiyoso, Foke's outfits ended up being pretty versatile because you could wear it to work, to a wedding, or even to the screening of Crows Zero.

Tata's take: Fauzi Bowo wore Betawi traditional outfits, which used to belong to the royals. Now, the outfit called the baju ujung serong and it's officially worn by Jakarta civil servants on certain days. Fauzi Bowo looked very classy in this outfit. And the green pocket handkerchief suggested serenity and humility.

Rating: 3/5

Jokowi has always been a man of many outfits. Back when he was our governor, he often wore a smart white button-down and black pants number while out on blusukan. But, let's face it, he's only going to be remembered for one—the red-checkered shirt, although to be fair, that shirt is more "President Jokowi" and less "Governor Jokowi."

Back when he was governor, this was Jokowi's go-to outfit:

Here's the deal… few people can actually pull off a white shirt, black pants combo. Most of the time you end up looking like someone at the final few hours of a wedding party. The suit jacket is on the back of your chair, the tie in your pocket, and the white shirt is totally untucked and free.

It's a hard look to pull off. And, sadly, Jokowi wasn't really able to do it right either.

But it's no big deal. Jokowi is a man of iconic outfits. His red-check shirt screams Punk Goes Acoustic Vol. 22, his Lamb of God shirts are total metal dad, and his crisis time bomber jacket is… well.. pretty Kayne.

My favorite though? His black Napalm Death shirt and leather jacket.

My personal favorite is when he wore a black jacket over Napalm Death T-shirt.

Tata's take: Without his uniforms, Jokowi chose to wear plain white shirt when he went to the field. This suggests that he tried to put himself on the same position as his people. The color white reflects modesty, so he looked approachable and informal.

Rating: 5/5

Ahok was known more for his no-bullshit style of government than his sartorial style. Most of the time he was dressed totally business casual, wearing outfits like the one you see above. Now, the polo shirt is a go-to choice for a lot of men Ahok's age. But that doesn't mean it's a good one. To me, he looked like a high school student who was going to a bimbel. The only upside I guess was that he looked as though he got an A on his physics tests. But I don't think Ahok was the kind of student who would let you copy his homework.

Personally, I think Ahok looked best in batik.

See what I mean? It's hard to look that sharp in court. But then again, I'm a nobody. So you might want to trust Tata on this one.

Tata's take: The combination of polo shirt and jeans is very casual and so he looked close to the people. This looks suits his personality. His white polo shirt usually has a patch or logo of a sport group, which showed his love for exercise. As a final touch, he would wear a plain black belt. Overall he looked dynamic and his clothes were always well-fitted. It's great kind of everyday wear.

Rating: 5/5

Djarot was only our governor for a very brief period of time, between May of this year and yesterday. So you'll have to forgive him for not really setting the fashion world on fire. Most of the time, Djarot wore a batik shirt. And thank God he wasn't one of those guys who only owns one batik shirt. Honestly, his outfits always made me happy because it made every day feel like Friday. Also points for being our most-adorable governor. Hands down.

Tata's take: While Ahok dresses like your dad, Djarot always reminds me of a dear uncle. He's simple but firm. In his batik shirt, Djarot looks so fatherly. He also has the best selection of batik out there. But most of the time he would wear a red batik, which suggests bravery and makes him look brighter.

Rating: 4/5

OK, so Anies has only been a governor for a day. It's really not fair to judge his style as governor. So this is more of a prediction and expectation of how will dress later on.

So far, I think Anies' outfits are a hybrid of Jokowi and Sutiyoso, which is a long-sleeve white shirt without suits, and sometimes a tie. But he always rolls up his sleeves like he's about to get to work (or you, know, just hot).

Maybe Anies will end up wearing a shirt made of tenun. After all he was always talking about wanting to "merawat tenun kebangsaan" ("maintain the nation's diverse fabric") on the campaign trail. And hopefully he will roll those sleeves up too, so it at least looks like he's working hard on the diversity issue.

Anies and Sandi in their official outfits. Photo by Beawiharta/Reuters

Tata's take: He dresses like a scholar, which is a white shirt and black pants. His plain white shirt looks fresh combined with the patterned tie. Anies' way of wearing the shirt, which is to roll up his sleeves, suggests that he's a laid-back person. He wants to look approachable.

Rating: 3/5