It was Dolley Madison, wife of the fourth US President James Madison, who first became aware of public interest in what a First Lady wears. She showed an intuitive ability to elevate (or lower) her appearance depending on the occasion and the mood of the country in the 1810s.
Fast forward about two hundred years, and our fascination with what political spouses wear—and what it tells us about them—may be stronger than ever.
It feels especially true this week, as the fallout over Victoria Starmer’s donor-funded wardrobe continues in Britain, while we’ve seen front-row appearances during fashion week from Lady Starmer, as well as Dr. Jill Biden in New York and Brigitte Macron in Paris.
How each country wants its First Lady or First Gentleman to dress seems to vary enormously. Here in Britain the emphasis is often on defending the British high street – But woe betide anyone who can be accused of looking shabby (Cherie Blair) or who admits to having his cheap ‘recognizable’ clothes tailor-made (Samantha Cameron). Across the Channel, fashion is an integral part of France’s national identity, and as such First Ladies are expected to support this by sitting front row at the main shows and wearing head-to-toe designer or haute couture to wear.
Here’s a look at the approach taken around the world when dressing for The Part.
Great Britain – Victoria Starmer
The recent revelation that items from Lady Starmer’s fabulous wardrobe came from secret political donations has soured her fashion appeal for some. But whether they were paid for by Starmer himself, by donors, or simply borrowed from brands for the occasion, Lady Starmer has undoubtedly used her clothes to send messages in the few months since her husband became Prime Minister.
She has made a flying start when it comes to raising the flag for Britain’s high streets – her recent hits from Me+Em include a £295 white crop jacket and the £275 tomato red dress she wore to arrive at Downing Street, which reportedly caused a 300 per cent increase in website traffic.
She also favors small British names – at the Labor Conference in Liverpool she wore a £36 mocha T-shirt and £100 navy blue wide-leg trousers from local slow fashion brand By Elleven.
Meanwhile, her appearance at Edeline Lee’s London Fashion Week show this month – wearing a borrowed blue and white polka blouse and trousers from the designer – is a further indication of her interest in promoting the industry. She followed up this week with another £1,150 red Labor dress from the designer for the Party Conference – which the brand quickly confirmed had been borrowed specifically for the occasion.
France – Brigitte Macron
In France, the First Lady’s unofficial role seems to be to champion her country’s leading fashion houses, both by attending their shows and wearing their merchandise from head to toe. This has been true since the 1960s and the era of Claude Pompidou, a regular at Chanel and a close friend of Karl Lagerfeld.
These days, 71-year-old Brigitte Macron clearly takes her role very seriously, and has become best known for her patronage of the Nicolas Ghesquière-designed Louis Vuitton. Although her signature look – cropped hemlines, skinny jeans and power blazers – was already evident before her husband took office, it is her stylist Mathieu Barthelat Colin who refined this look.
During the recent Paris Fashion Week, she sat front row not only at Louis Vuitton, but also at Balmain and Dior, and even made a cameo in a recent episode of fashion favorite Emily in Paris with her favorite Lady Dior bag worth £3,800. French Vogue is in love – on social media they posted a photo of Macron with what they called her ‘First Lady Dior’ bag.
US – Jill Biden
While Melania Trump was known for her penchant for designer suits, and Michelle Obama for her championing of emerging American designers, Dr. Jill Biden did not forge as strong a sartorial identity during her husband’s tenure.
One brand she has worn consistently, however, is the godfather of American fashion, Ralph Lauren, whose fashion show she also attended in New York last month. As he mingled with A-listers and posed for selfies, Dr. Biden wore a boxy black suit from the designer, adorned with a diamond brooch. She often turned to Ralph to create custom looks for her on special occasions, most notably the cornflower blue skirt suit she wore for the coronation of King Charles III, and the baby blue sequin dress she wore to the recent Democratic National Convention .
Japan – Yuko Kishida
Yuko Kishida, Japan’s First Lady since 2021, has had limited opportunities to show off her sartorial skills internationally – although, when she did, her outfits were nothing short of chic.
An example of this was last year, when she wore a custom-made green sari to the G20 summit in India, which she decorated with silver jewelery and a traditional bindi. Clearly well-versed in the art of diplomatic dress, she showed similar finesse when she visited the US in April, wearing a traditional Japanese kimono to plant a cherry blossom tree on the White House grounds, an act that was mainly symbolic because of the country’s position. past history.
She’s clearly also into a bit of megawatt glamour, wearing a sculptural purple dress to the White House reception gala she attended with her husband, which perfectly complemented the Oscar de la Renta sequin dress by Jill Biden in a similar shade. Her favorite everyday bag in particular is a £1,095 Bayswater from British brand Mulberry.
Denmark – Bo Tengberg
Denmark’s first gentleman, film director Bo Tengberg, is known for his dashing figure. When it comes to dressing for official engagements, he usually lets his wife, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, take the lead, often mirroring her style in his own appearance. It’s his subtle Scandi styling tricks that make him stand out – an expanded jacket collar here, a single-breasted suit jacket above – and his dedication to pocket squares and brooches.
Iceland – Bjorn Skulason
Iceland’s Bjorn Skulason looks equally sharp in a suit. The wellness entrepreneur (he has his own navy collagen brand) often opts for blue (navy) suits with a Seventies edge – think narrow-cut jackets and skinny fit trousers. He’s modeled himself as an Instagram influencer of sorts, posting behind-the-scenes photos of the first family making Kleinur (Icelandic doughnuts) at home in their Scandi knits, or wearing matching mirror sunglasses at the Blue Lagoon.
Ukraine – Olena Zelenska
Ukrainian Olena Zelenska’s relationship with fashion is complicated. In 2022, her appearance as a digital cover star for Vogue sparked much discussion on social media, while the fact that she has a stylist on her staff, Natalia Kamenska, is also raising eyebrows at a time when her compatriots may feel that they need more have problems. to worry about.
Yet no one has done more to showcase the talent of Ukraine’s burgeoning fashion industry than Zelenska — a job she started long before Putin’s tanks crossed the border.
Using fashion to communicate protest, she wears not only local designers like The Coat, Gunia and AMG, but also specific pieces that reference Ukraine’s distinct history, separate from Russia. Examples include the vyshyvanka, a type of traditional embroidered shirt symbolic of Ukraine, which she wore for National Vyshyvanka Day in 2022.
She also often wears the national colors of Ukraine, blue and yellow – a trick that every political spouse, regardless of budget, knows can produce a winning sartorial formula in the eyes of the public.