One might think that during the inauguration ceremony of US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, people were entirely focused on that significant moment in history. However, what stole the show was something completely unexpected: Senator Bernie Sanders’ casual outfit.
Dressed in an olive green Burton winter jacket and cozy-looking mittens, while also sporting a serious, “grandfather” look with his legs crossed over, Sanders became instant meme material as netizens Photoshopped his picture onto various other scenarios and locations, some of which included a scene from the Game of Thrones and sitting on a couch with the F.R.I.E.N.D.S. cast.
His sensible, plain jacket stood out in a sea of fashionable, elegant, elite-looking trench coats and pantsuits.
After seeing an image of Sanders in his attire, carrying a large envelope on his way out with a reportedly sombre expression, many compared to him to a postman who was probably thinking, “This was nice, but I have work to do now.”
Another element in his outfit that attracted the eye of the commoner was his recycled mittens that were reportedly made by a school teacher named Jen Ellis.
Taking to Twitter, Ellis said on Wednesday, "I made Bernie's mittens as a gift a couple years ago.” She added that all the mittens she had gifted him were made from repurposed wool sweaters and lined with fleece (made from recycled plastic bottles).
She further said she was honoured that the Vermont Senator had chosen to wear them for the ceremony.
Seeing the response to his attire, Seth Meyers, host at the Late Night With Seth Meyers asked Sanders if he knew he was going viral during the ceremony, to which Sanders replied, “Not. At. All. I was just sitting there, trying to keep warm, trying to pay attention to what was going on.”
"You know in Vermont, we dress warm, we know something about the fashion, we want to keep warm. And that's what I did today," media reports quoted Sanders as saying.
Meyers also asked him what was in the envelope people had seen Sanders holding, to which the latter responded, “I'd love to tell you Seth ... top secret.”
Sanders certainly stole the show that day with his casual, sensible style of dressing.