Narco Chic: How Narcos’ Fashions Have Changed And How You Can Dress Like One, Too

24 April 2009, 6:00 PM. By Alex Alvarez

Vicente Zambada Niebla (L), Carrillo Levya (R)

Narcotraficantes, it seems, are changing their style. Gone are the Western shirts, cowboy hats, boots and gold chains of yore, in are conservative blazers, oxford shirts and expensive jeans. Narcos are businessmen like any other (except AIG employees - those guys are scum) and, more and more, they’re dressing the part.

Take, for example, Vicente Zambada Niebla, who captured the hearts and imagination of Mexican women when he was presented on TV after his arrest, wearing a nice blazer and pricey haircut. The adoration surrounding this dapper young drug trafficker has even earned him a nickname - “El Vicentillo” - and a pull-out poster in Tiger Beat is sure to follow.

Then there’s Carrillo Leyva, who was captured in a posh Mexico City neighborhood while doing his morning exercise. It’s hard to imagine the stereotypical unshaven, pot-bellied, cigar-smoking narcos of yesteryear worrying because they didn’t get their 200 crunches in that morning.

And who could forget Miss Sinaloa Laura Zuniga, who astounded people by being 1) not a big, gross man and 2) a beauty queen!

That’s not to say that drug traffickers haven’t ever been stylish - Miami’s notorious “Cocaine Cowboys” not only brought in millions of dollars to this “Paradise Lost,” they also inspired the flashy style that’s now synonymous with Miami Vice. And then there’s Griselda Blanco - the flamboyant, deadly “Godmother” of Miami’s cocaine trade. Check her out:

It’s ok to be jealous.

One wonders whether this shift in dress is an attempt or the symptom of viewing narco traffickers as legitimate business men. After all, they’re not the ones placing eight balls into the hands of second graders (we take care of that for them), they just handle the paperwork. Hell, they’re not even the ones turning people who don’t pay up into soup.

For those of us lady types who wish to become the Griselda Blanco of our own cubicle row… well, we’re kind of sad. But never underdressed. Check out our options for dressing Narco Style. And remember - don’t hate the player in the flashy clothes. Hate the game: