Pope Benedict XVI's Top 18 Style Moments

Feb. 28, 2013— -- intro:He might be the leader of the Catholic world and the top dog of one of the longest-running insitutions in human history. But that doesn't mean he can't take a few fashion risks.

Some of his clothing choices are steeped in tradition, passed down from pope to pope throughout the centuries. But sometimes the pope just wants to wear a baseball cap on his day off. Take a look at our list of Pope Benedict XVI's top style moments.

quicklist: 1title: Pope In a Sombrerotext: When in Mexico, do as the Mexicans do.

media:18619274

quicklist: 2title: Red Slipperstext: Move over, Dorothy. Pope Benedict XVI revived this old red shoes tradition. We sat down with Antonio Arellano, the Peruvian immigrant who makes them, earlier this week.

media:18618958

quicklist: 3title: Pope In a Baseball Hattext: The Vatican has casual Fridays too?

media:18618914

quicklist: 4title: Pope in "Saturno" Hattext: This hat is named after the ringed planet. And it's red. He wears it to protect his face from the sun in Saint Peter's square at the Vatican.

media:18619284

quicklist: 5title: The Pope Also Bestows His Sense of Style Onto Otherstext: "Here, try this hat."

India's Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal receives his hat as Pope Benedict XVI appoints him as a cardinal during a 2012 ceremony at St Peter's basilica at the Vatican.

media:18618904

quicklist: 6title: Classic Popetext: There's the pope hat we know and love. This picture was taken when he was leaving mass in Cyprus in 2010.

media:18618846

quicklist: 7title: Yet Another Sombrerotext: Who can stop at just one? When visiting Mexico in 2012, the pope tried on a few of these wide-brimmed hats.

media:18619456

quicklist: 8title: Pope in a Feathered Captext: It's the can-can in a hat! Actually, this hat was a gift from Italian Bersaglieri soldiers in 2010.

media:18618856

quicklist: 9title: Sporty Popetext: If he were a Spice Girl, we know which one he'd be.

In this 2009 picture, Pope Benedict XVI is wearing cap offered to him by Germany's Paul Biedermann, a gold medallist in the men's 200m freestyle.

media:18618979

quicklist: 10title: Cardinal Hatstext: When Benedict XVI was just Cardinal Ratzinger he wore these jaunty red hats, which vaguely resemble Chinese takeout containers. Now, he just gives them out to Cardinals in appointing ceremonies like this one.

media:18618894

quicklist: 11title: Santa Claus Popetext: The pope wore this snazzy red and white combo on December 28 of 2005. The Pontif dressed for the second time in the red hat used by Pope John XXIII forty years prior.

media:18618835

quicklist: 12title: Pope in Spanish hattext: ¡Olé! Pope Benedict XVI received this hat of the Spanish 'Guardia Civil' during his weekly audience in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, 25 Octobre 2006.

media:18618803

quicklist: 13title: Mountaineering Popetext: In this picture the pope is wearing an Italian alpine troops hat, given to him as a gift during his open-air weekly general audience in St. Peter's square, at the Vatican, 07 June 2006.

media:18618792

quicklist: 14title: Pretty in Purple Popetext: Purple really brings out his eyes. The pope wore this lovely outfit during the mass for the liturgy of ashes at St. Sabina basilica in Rome, 01 March 2006,

media:18618782

quicklist: 15title: Papal Blingtext: 2 Chainz doesn't have didly squat on the pope's jewels. Kiss the ring.

media:18618881

quicklist: 16title: Windy Day Popetext: A windy day in Berlin inspired this look. media:18618870

quicklist: 17title: Pilgrim Cape Popetext: Pope Benedict XVI waved to the faithful as he wore a pilgrim cape with a scallop shell and a Santiago cross embroidered on it during his visit in Santiago de Compostela, on November 6, 2010.

media:18618948

quicklist: 18title: 'Now You See Me, Now You Don't" Popetext: Pope Benedict XVI prays during the Vesper ceremony in the St Peter's basilica at Vatican on February 2, 2010.

media:18618992