Certainly, the first impact caused by Pope Prevost was when, on May 8, he appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s as the 267th pope of the Church, wearing his red mozzetta and richly embroidered red stole.
Newsroom(07/26/2025 12:40, Gaudium Press) The New York Times highlighted that Pope Leo XIV is among the most stylish people of the year. The newspaper praised the Pope’s style, with majestic vestments, something unprecedented for a pontiff from the United States. Leo XIV joins a group of figures who have contributed to “defining the look of the year” with their clothing choices that combine tradition and modernity.
Pope Leo XIV’s presence on the NYT list demonstrates both his religious relevance and his ability to influence current culture through fashion. The choice of the Pope as a style icon represents a new stage in the relationship between the Church and contemporary society, showing that tradition can coexist with modernity.
Certainly, the first impact caused by Pope Prevost was when, on May 8, as he stepped out onto the balcony of St. Peter’s as the 267th Pope of the Church, he did so wearing his red mozzetta and richly embroidered red stole, while being illuminated by the spotlight of the entire world.
But it is certain that, from that moment on, Robert Francis Prevost became the center of attention not only of the Catholic people and media, but of people of all tastes and tendencies.
Each person establishes the rankings they want, according to their tastes, and that is what the well-known American newspaper did with its list of 33 celebrities who, with their presence, influenced the look of many people. This list includes actors, athletes, and others.
But it is still surprising that, in this heterogeneous and clearly debatable cast, Leo XIV was included: “When Robert Francis Prevost became the first American pope in May, he achieved a distinction — and access to galas — that no other person from the United States has ever achieved,” notes the NYT.
The truth is that it is not only the Pope’s current looks that impress the modern public, but interest in his past life has meant that images such as Bishop Prevost in Peru riding a donkey, or in his time as an Augustinian superior, or even as a young seminarian, have ended up having an impact on current fashions.
But, of course, as a focus of trends, nothing compares to the US. And the fact that there is now an American who wears clothes from “a wardrobe that no other American has had,” according to the Zenit agency, means that this “wardrobe” now has a very special visibility, even through the liberal New York Times.
Compiled by Teresa Joseph
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