Pope Leo XIV: 2025’s Unexpected Fashion Icon

He’s probably not the first person that comes to mind when you think of the most stylish people of 2025. And yet, Pope Leo New York Times. According to the American daily, he has permanently changed the image of the papacy since his election as the first American pope last May.

“Shortly after, he once again marked the image of his office by combining with his papal outfit a cap bearing the image of the Chicago White Sox,” continues the New York Times. Leon is a big fan of the baseball team.

Why does his style get so much attention? As mentioned by New York PostRev. John Wauck of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome speaks of a “return to tradition.”

According to him, Leo XIV’s outfits are more reminiscent of those of older popes, such as Benedict XVI or John Paul II, and less of those of his direct predecessor, Pope Francis.

This was evident from the day he was elected. On this occasion, he opted for a red mosette (a short cape that covers the shoulders and upper torso), a stole embroidered with gold thread and a gold cross – a significantly more traditional appearance than that of his predecessor, usually dressed in a white cassock (priest’s habit) and carrying a silver cross.

The style, according to New York Timesis not only expressed through clothing, accessories and hairstyles, but can also be manifested through “a unique charisma or a gesture that takes on a life of its own.”