But there is something almost laughably traditional about his appearance – the V-necked sweater, the office shirt – for someone with such an eye for the new.
With uniformed sales clerks hovering nearby, Mr. Kobayashi, a Sanyo salesman, added a dollop of "yoguruto" and then a splash of "orenji jusu," creating the Japanese salary man's nightmare office shirt.
Even at the office, his shirts are heroic, psychedelic, the shirts of a man who trusts the world, their effect muted only slightly by his black hoodie, black jeans, and black boots.
But Minnesota's conservative Republicans seem far less prepared to forgive Mr Coleman for having been a Democrat than Mr Wellstone's supporters are prepared to forgive him for clinging to office.Pressed shirts against firepowerThis is part of a broader picture.
If you are in an office, a shirt and tie may be required.
That required disposable income and more numbing chores, this time in an office where crisp shirts were de rigueur.
He resisted wearing ties, and he was often seen around the firm's office wearing untucked shirts and clothes too big for his frame.
A guy who liked to lean in himself, he ran a small medical-device company — a chief executive, yes, but one who wore shorts to the office, bought his shirts at Sears, liked little cars with big engines and had no need for a loan from me.
Last month, police officers protested outside Mr Mitchell's constituency office wearing T-shirt with the words "PC Pleb and Proud" printed on them and representatives have called for a full inquiry into the matter.
"My voters want to vote for me," he said, sitting in his home office, wearing a shirt popular with Tea Party activists, part American flag, part Constitution.
