Why does Steve Bannon wear three shirts wherever he goes?

As Steve Bannon entered the U.S. District Court House for his trial regarding his refusal to comply with subpoenas from the House Select Committee's January 6th investigation he sported his notorious three shirt fashion choice.

Despite the fact that it was 90°F in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, one shirt is just not enough for the former White House chief strategist under Donald Trump,

Bannon, 68, wore a black t-shirt, purple button-down, and a dark grey button-down all fitted underneath a dark grey blazer.

The perfect outfit for defending yourself on two counts of criminal contempt of Congress charges.

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Bannon was charged in November 2021 after refusing to comply with subpoenas from the House select committee to appear and hand over documents related to the January 6th attack on the Capitol.

He surrendered himself to the FBI two days after being indicted - something he live-streamed for his podcast audience.

Only recently Bannon agreed to testify in front of the House select committee- something we're sure he'll wear more than two shirts for.

So what exactly compels the former White House chief strategist under Donald Trump to wear three shirts?

The look is a common stylistic choice for Bannon as he has been photographed wearing the layered shirt look since 2013. In an interview with The Cut in 2017, several "friends" of Bannon's said the choice began at prep school and continued on into adulthood.

Sure wearing one or two shirts layered, maybe with a jacket, is relatively normal. But Bannon apparently likes to wear three according to a spokesperson who told The Cut: “Never one. Certainly never one. And most of the time never two. It’s usually three."

Steve Bannon in 2013 wearing what appears to be multiple shirts Getty Images

Although apparently while working in the White House he wore fewer shirts - possibly only two, underneath his suit blazer.

“What do shirts say about Steve Bannon?” Bannon's spokesperson asked The Cut. “He’s always got a contingency plan. If one shirt gets ruined, put the next one on."

But who knows if any of this still holds up. Even journalist Joshua Green who wrote the book Devil's Bargain about Bannon and Trump's relationship couldn't figure it out.

“I’ve never been able to figure it out," Green told The Guardian in 2017. I don’t have any idea. It’s the weirdest sartorial style I have ever encountered.”

Perhaps we'll never truly know why Bannon wears three, or more, shirts at a time. But it is nice to know he's consistent.

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