Former President Barack Obama is defending his tan suit look more than a decade later.
While campaigning at an Oct. 28 rally outside Atlanta for Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms, Obama revisited the famed fashion incident.
"I'm old enough to remember when a president wearing a tan suit was a major national controversy," he told the crowd, who cheered at the mention of the infamous suit. "They were very upset. And I know I looked good in the suit."
As Obama took a pause for the applause, the audience quickly broke out into a "Yes, you did" chant.
"I know that's right. I know. It was tight," he added.
In 2014,
Obama donned the controversial tan suit at a press conference while discussing the U.S. military response to the Islamic State in Syria. At the time, the suit — which was outside the typical presidential realm of a grey or blue color scheme — caused media uproar, with people deeming the tan look "too casual" or "inappropriate" for presidential affairs.
"He looked like he was on his way to a party at the Hamptons," Rep. Peter King, a Republican from New York, told CNN at the time.
"Khaki is a sort of wishy-washy color," wrote New York Times chief fashion critic Vanessa Friedman, hence "… a particularly odd choice for a discussion of wishy-washy military policy."
Over the years, Obama has poked fun at what is occasionally called "tan suit gate," as it has become synonymous with both the former president's legacy and his personal style. So much so that during the star-studded grand opening ceremony of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago on June 18, attendees honored Obama in their own tan suit looks.
For the historic occasion, Stephen Colbert looked sharp in a lightweight tan suit paired with a blue-and-grey striped tie, while David Letterman sported a cool tan blazer. Obama Foundation board chairman Marty Nesbitt also donned a tan suit and showed off his Obama-inspired ensemble while addressing the crowd.
"This was inspired by a very good friend of mine, who made tan suits famous," Nesbitt said at the time. "And I don't know about the rest of y'all but I thought he look pretty good wearing his, so I decided to wear one myself."
Unfortunately for visitors who anticipated seeing the famed suit in the presidential center, museum organizers confirmed that the tan suit is not on display, as Obama gave it away.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Barack Obama defends tan suit at campaign rally — 'I know I looked good'
