Earlier in the week, in a 31-page federal indictment filed in Washington, prosecutors alleged that former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort spent $1,369,655 on clothing throughout a four-year period (among other alleged curious behavior, of course). In particular, the L.A. Times reported that Manafort purchased $520,400 worth of clothes from a Beverly Hills business identified only as “Vendor H.” (An employee at ISAIA, an Italian brand founded in Naples in 1920, speculated that Vendor H was Bijan on Rodeo Drive, where the asking price for a custom suit is approximately $25,000.) Manafort spent another $849,215 around the same time at an unnamed men’s clothing store in New York City.
Needless to say, $1,369,655 is a lot of money for threads (especially over just four years). Yet as any man who’s ever purchased a bespoke suit from Savile Rowe will tell you (presumably while flipping you off from the back of his chauffeur-driven Maybach), suits can get expensive.
But just how many suits does $1,369,655 buy a man who clearly isn’t wearing Trump-licensed duds?
We broke down Manafort’s sartorial spending habits to find out what you can get for that money at every brand ranging from from Kenneth Cole to Tom Ford to Bijan.
Designer: Kenneth Cole
Average Suit Cost: $100
Number of Suits on a Manafort Budget: 13,696
I’ve personally tried on a Kenneth Cole blazer, and I can tell you that it feels more like you’re trapped in a nylon straightjacket than being coddled in delicate fabric. Sure, Manafort could wear a new Kenneth Cole suit every day for the next 37 years, but the way things are going, there’s a good chance he’ll be wearing an entirely different sort of pinstripes in the near future.
Retailer: Men’s Wearhouse
Average Suit Cost: $250
Number of Suits on a Manafort Budget: 5,476
The Men’s Wearhouse motto is, “You’re gonna like the way you look.” But really it should be, “You’re gonna look okay, so if that’s okay, you’re gonna like the way you look.”
Designer: Hugo Boss
Average Suit Cost: $500
Number of Suits on a Manafort Budget: 2,738
Though an average Hugo Boss suit costs closer to $800, the designer offers a range of suits that start at around $500. In fact, based on most of the pictures of Manafort wearing a suit, the Boss suit seems more akin to his sartorial signature than anything else on this list.
Designer: Ralph Lauren
Average Suit Cost: $1,000
Number of Suits on a Manafort Budget: 1,369
Lauren is best-known for his polos, but he doesn’t make a bad suit either.
Designer: John Varvatos
Average Suit Cost: $2,000
Number of Suits on a Manafort Budget: 684
The Varvatos suit is made for the tall, skinny rockstar who needs to dress black tie but doesn’t want to look like they’re wearing a suit. Clearly, not Manafort’s style.
Designers: Brioni and Tom Ford
Average Suit Cost: $5,000
Number of Suits on a Manafort Budget: 273
For most people, myself included, Brioni and Tom Ford are the Beluga caviar of formalwear. You may get one or two opportunities in life to engage in such luxuries, which is why you should take them. That said, based on the numbers, it would seem as though Manafort has had at least 273 of them.
Designer: Bijan
Average Suit Cost: $25,000
Number of Suits on a Manafort Budget: 54
If I knew my time as a free man was limited, I’d probably spend $25,000 on a suit, too, because fuck it: If you’re being charged for crimes against the country, you might as well wear a suit to court from the most expensive store in the world. Side note: I’ve tried on a Bijan jacket… I get it.
Andrew Fiouzi
Andrew Fiouzi is a staff writer at MEL.
