Doing away with one of the most widely publicized traditions of APEC meetings, national leaders at the summit in Vladivostok opted to skip national costumes for the official photo, the spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
Leaders of the 21 economies making up the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation bloc would stick to suits and business dresses during the photo session on Sunday to give the event “a business tone,” Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday.
APEC leaders have been holding photo sessions in nationally themed attire since the 1993’s event in Seattle, where they sported leather jackets.
Korean overcoats durumagi and Chilean ponchos have also been on the list in following years, but the tradition was broken when the leaders forewent kimonos in Yokohama in 2010 and aloha shirts in Honolulu last year.
Russian national costume includes the kosovorotka, a type of long men’s caftan decorated with traditional ornament at the collar and sleeves, and the sarafan, a jumper dress.
