Cable News Couture

Cable news networks are competing more fiercely than ever, but lately, one network has pulled ahead. Fox News Channel's coverage of the debates scored far higher ratings than CNN or MSNBC. While this could be the triumph of "fair and balanced" news, there's actually a secret weapon at work: sartorial style.

Other networks certainly have some well dressed talking heads, but they're often the exception rather than the rule. Consider MSNBC's Chris Matthews of "Hardball," who often looks like he just rolled out of Today's Man. His jackets are too loose, and his ties tend to be askew. Pat Buchanan makes up for it, though, with his hand-made suits. And while CNN's Tucker Carlson is always on message with his signature bow ties, it was "NewsNight" anchor Aaron Brown - whose style combines that of a Wall Street macher and a beefy football commentator - that won a few style points during the debates.

Meanwhile, Fox News Channel has suited itself so well that it's now the best dressed in the business. The network has a deep bench of stylish men, and seems to have created a culture of looking sharp. What about the women? Television news is more friendly to men's attire than women's: many necklines for women - turtlenecks, scoop necks, and open-collar button-down shirts - look less put-together than a suit and tie. (So for once, we can judge the men on their appearance.)

Without question, the tone of Fox's on-screen panache is set by managing editor and "Special Report" host Brit Hume. Stylish and elegant yet traditional, he typically wears dark suits in rich fabrics, deeply colored ties, and a complementary (though not matching) pocket square. At his sharpest, he channels both a suave Cary Grant and an irritable Jimmy Stewart. His demeanor seems to suggest that if all the mumbo-jumbo could please be over with, he'd be happy to escort everyone onto the terrace for cocktails.

Several of Mr. Hume's colleagues at Fox wear a pocket square as well. "Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace, "Fox and Friends Weekend" host Julian Phillips, and contributor Michael Barone are all sporting handkerchiefs in their jacket pockets.

Mr. Barone, a long-time reporter for U.S. News & World Report, is an example of a newsman who has successfully made the style transition from print journalism to TV news. According to him, there is no dress code, and certainly no pocket-square ruling. He started wearing them on his own.

"I got into it at the suggestion of a clothing salesman named Jim Hagan at Britches," Mr. Barone said, referring to a now-closed Washington, D.C., clothing shop. "Jim really encouraged me to dress more stylishly."

For a recent debate appearance, Mr. Barone wore a tweed jacket with a matching tie and pocket square in a bold shade of orange, which he chose, he said, because "orange is a fall color."

Mr. Phillips, whose show is the top-rated cable news weekend morning show, says he's been wearing pocket squares for years. He owns several of them, and has them folded in a variety of shapes - including one with five points that was folded by the deacon of his church.

"Accessories are part of being a good dresser," he said, noting that he has several friends in the fashion industry and a wife who knows about style.

Mr. Phillips says he came to his personal fashion philosophy is his own, but it matches well with the trend at Fox: "People look at the messenger as well as the message."

Sean Hannity, of "Hannity & Colmes," seems to favor three-button jackets, and they are regularly of good fabrics. Co-host Alan Colmes isn't quite a fashion plate, but he does know enough to wear high collars that lend him an air of formality on screen.

Contributors such as Fred Barnes, Morton Kondracke, and William Kristol - who are mainly print journalists - fit a more traditional, Washington, D.C., style profile. "I've never worn a pocket square," said Mr. Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard. "There are the dapper Fox anchors, and then there are the rest of us."

Fox anchors, though, do benefit from in-house wardrobe consultants. Twice a year the network brings in a trunk show in which a variety of brands are represented. Though the wardrobe consultants can suggest or recommend clothes, the anchors are free to choose what they wish.

In the case of Shepard Smith, however, one might assume that the wardrobe people have a little more say. His look is slicker and flashier than most of the anchors, but that is in keeping with his show, "The Fox Report," which moves at the speed of MTV. His overly shiny suits are more like costumes selected for a show than like clothing one might wear to the office.

But there is a cross-network trend: White House reporters appear to be the sharpest of them all. Fox News's Jim Angle reliably wears extremely well-tailored jackets and colorful shirts. NBC's David Gregory, also a pocket-square man, put his fellow post-debate panel guests to shame when he visited "Hardball."

CNN's White House reporter John King - who regularly shows up to work (without a stylist) in crisp three-button jackets and bright, colorful ties - believes the high-profile job demands a little something extra. "If you're standing in front of the White House, you don't want to be disrespectful," he said.

Mr. King started out in print journalism, and had to catch up with the swanky crew reporting from the White House lawn. "I used to write for the AP. I showed up every day in jeans with my notebook in my pocket," he recalled. Now though, he puts more thought into his appearance, and recently went on tie-buying spree in Italy. "They tend to be bolder, brighter colors," he said of the 20 ties he bought in Rome.

Italian ties? If this trend spreads, CNN will be well on its way to closing the network style gap.