John Deoudes after his GQ makeover

As a city, D.C. is a lot of things: smart, professionally motivated, and probably politically engaged to a fault. But we’ve never been accused of being a stylish city, a point that GQ magazine is rubbing in with a “Project Upgrade” feature in its November issue in which it takes eight of the city’s most stereotypical male professionals—four Hill staffers, a Capitol Hill construction project manager, two speechwriters, and a lawyer—and dresses them up.

Take John Deoudes, a 25-year-old legislative staffer in a House office. In the “Before” picture, he’s wearing a standard gray suit—and it’s a size too big. But after GQ gets done with him, he’s pictured wearing a dapper and much more finely tailored—and sized—Tallia Orange suit, complemented by a Tommy Hilfiger dress shirt and Band of Outsiders tie. Who says policymakers can’t be pretty?

There’s little doubt that all eight men look better after the magazine is done with them, but there’s probably one consideration that’s been overlooked: unless you’re a senior-level staffer, a lobbyist or a lawyer at a private firm, your salary isn’t easily going to afford you both a good place to live and fine clothes in D.C. Take Deoudes, for one. His salary is publicly available, and we’ll just say that the $845 GQ would have him pay wouldn’t be insignificant.

Take our criticisms with a grain of salt: we’re writers, after all, not a profession known for cutting edge style. Maybe GQ can dress us up next, huh?