Come on, hands up how many of you listening to Rishi’s farewell speech on the steps of Downing Street, while secretly distracted by the rather fabulous appliqued dress worn by his wife Akshata Murty?
And who, minutes later, didn’t think: “Wow, she looks great” about Lady Victoria Starmer’s subtle red £275 Me & Em midi, which showed off her phenomenally toned arms as she hugged well-wishers on the No 10 doorstep? You can’t imagine her ever doing a Cherie Blair and opening the most famous door in Britain wearing a grey jersey nightie.
While it might be deemed shallow and reductive, let’s just go with the fact that it was a delight to see so many of our female politicians and first ladies past and present play a strong style game.
Gone are the days when women aped their male colleagues and felt they needed to blend into the background in dull, slightly ill-fitting trouser suits (apologies Theresa May) or to the other extreme in Karren Brady style power dresses.
These 2024 professional women are fierce, feminine and a fashion force in their reds, pinks and creams. And those in the know will have spotted The Fold, Me & Em (dubbed the middle-class staple) and Reiss as brands of choice.
Rachel Reeves went for a sharp suit and with her sleek power bobs or “pibs” – the hair and accessories were a million miles away from the drab very traditional British look of yesteryear. We’ve finally caught up with our sleek European sisters.
As one very well-connected fashion insider put it: “These choices reflect the growing fashion confidence of female politicians which they just didn’t have last time around, and although I felt the wives performed slightly better, they have the advantage of stylists to help choose their outfits, something that can be weeks or months in the planning. As a result, they looked slightly more pulled together. But many of the politicians get an A for effort from me and are looking much more confident with their use of style and colour.”
It’s hard to argue that Murty’s exquisite red white and blue £395 Lina dress, from Omi Na Na, an ethical British brand, handmade in India, was anything less than precision planning, perfectly fitting her petite frame and reflecting her Indian heritage as well as her British patriotism. It was also apparently months in the planning and saved for her last day in Downing Street.
Meanwhile, Lady Vic Starmer’s ruby red fit and flare dress had my WhatsApp group light up. Knowing the world’s eyes will have been on her for the past 24 hours, last night she paired wide-legged navy trousers with a short-sleeved white tweed jacket also from Me + Em, understanding this popular mid-priced independent British brand is the right side of cool. Safe but not frumpy, bold but not scaring the horses.
Pink was the surprise choice of election night. Not so long ago the colour associated with Barbie and everything stereotypically “girly” would have been seen as a no-go shade for a female politician wanting to project strength. But it has been reclaimed and worn boldly by Harriet Harman who was commentating as well as the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg.
There were more feminine trouser suits among the strong female anchors and seasoned politicians like Yvette Cooper sported chic jewellery, rather than the power baubles favoured by Theresa May.
All confident looks which said that these women are happy in their skin and brimming with positivity.
As my fashion insider friend commented: “The only problem now is how often you’re going to see the same Me & Em suit in parliament.” How very Commons.