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The Libyan uprising has thrust the country's longtime ruler, Muammar Qaddafi, into the spotlight. And when Qaddafi captures the media's attention, you can be sure his flamboyant fashion sense will as well. ABC has already put together a slideshow chronicling Qaddafi's trademark taste for colorful patterns, rich textures, and elaborate military garb, and Slate has scrupulously documented Qaddafi's celebrity lookalikes, which range from Mick Jagger to Mickey Rourke. The Washington Post's Kathleen Boyle has even suggested that Qaddafi's wardrobe epitomizes the personal characteristics that could undermine the leader's grip on power. Qaddafi's "extravagant lifestyle and strange behavior has always been visible through his choice of dress, highlighting decades of bravado and bluster that may ultimately be his downfall in the days ahead," she argues.
Qaddafi's been ruling Libya for over for decades, and it seems like the media's been making fun of his clothing for nearly as long. Here's a timeline with some of the highlights:
1986: In a never-aired comedy-news NBC pilot created by Kurt Andersen and Graydon Carter, among others, Nancy Foreman uses actual footage to explain that Qaddafi sometimes chooses a "stone-washed denim ensemble created for style, comfort, and the unexpected" when traveling on a tractor but opts for "a cookie-monster blue jumpsuit ... with a tradition-true military hat and saucy swagger stick" when he's looking for "playful comfort and ease."