king of suspenders

Larry King is the only man on the face of the Earth who can pull of suspenders.

I hate to be this blunt about it, but I heard this exact comment in a recent conversation with a group of friends and felt the need to publish it.

Let's look at the facts. Any "regular" man would look like a fool in the painfully outdated style, causing their pants to slump at an odd angle, sliding down their shoulders and looking like a sad imitation of Gallagher.

So why can Larry King get away with it? (And no, it is not because he is already on his seventh wife.) The answer is simple- he is always sitting behind a desk.

The trademark suspenders somehow give him a sense of importance and re-emphasize that journalistic appeal which, in theory, allows guests to open up to him. He defines the stereotype of a hard news broadcaster- an image which was arguably based upon the celebrity himself.

According to Wikipedia:

[King] said that he tries to project an image of earnestness and sincerity in each interview, and the format of the show (King in suspenders instead of suit and tie, sitting directly next to the guest) reinforce that.

But when he stands, it is a completely different story. Suddenly his distinguished edge is lost, and he is transformed into a regular guy in a seemingly silly, outdated getup.

The point of my little rant? To offer my advice, of course: Stay strong with your bold fashion statement Larry- but please, for all our sakes, stay seated.