The cost of dressing the world’s First Ladies (and men)

It was Dolley Madison, the wife of the fourth US President James Madison, who first realised the public interest in what a First Lady wears. She showed an intuitive ability to dial up (or down) her look depending on the occasion and mood of the nation in the 1810s.

Fast-forward some 200 years and our fascination with what political spouses wear – and what it tells us about them – is perhaps stronger than ever.

It feels particularly true this week, as the fallout over Lady Starmer’s donor-funded wardrobe continues in the UK, at the same time as we’ve seen fashion week front row appearances from Lady Starmer, but also Dr Jill Biden in New York and Brigitte Macron in Paris.

How each nation wants its First Lady, or First Gentleman, to dress seems to vary greatly. Here in the UK, there has often been a focus on championing the British high street – though woe betide anyone who could be accused of looking frumpy (Cherie Blair) or who admits to having their cheap “relatable” clothes tailored (Samantha Cameron). Across the Channel, fashion is integral to France’s national identity, and as such First Ladies are expected to support it by sitting front row at the most important shows and wearing head-to-toe designer or haute couture.

Here’s a look at the approaches taken around the world, when dressing for The Part.

UK – Victoria Starmer

The recent revelation that items in Lady Starmer’s stellar wardrobe came via undisclosed political donations has soured her fashion appeal for some. But, whether they’ve been paid for by Starmer herself, by donors, or simply borrowed for the occasion from brands, Lady Starmer has undoubtedly used her clothes to send messages in the few months since her husband became PM.

She has hit the ground running when it comes to flying the flag for the British high street – her recent hits from Me+Em include a £295 white crop jacket, and the £275 tomato red dress she wore for her Downing Street arrival, which reportedly caused a 300 percent surge in website traffic.

She’s championed small British names too – at the Labour Conference in Liverpool she wore a £36 mocha T-shirt and £100 wide-leg navy trousers by 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 by the designer – is further indicative of her interest in promoting the industry. She followed it up with another £1,150 Labour red dress by the designer for the Party Conference this week – which the brand was quick to confirm she had borrowed just for the occasion.

France – Brigitte Macron

In France, it seems to be the unofficial role of the First Lady to champion her nation’s world-leading fashion houses, both by attending their shows and wearing their merchandise from top-to-toe. It’s been this way since the 1960s and the era of Claude Pompidou, who was a regular at Chanel and a good friend of Karl Lagerfeld.

Today, 71-year-old Brigitte Macron clearly takes her role very seriously, and has become known in particular for her patronage of the Nicolas Ghesquière-designed Louis Vuitton. Although her signature look – abbreviated hemlines, skinny jeans and power blazers – was very much evident prior to her husband taking office, it is her stylist Mathieu Barthelat Colin who has been credited with refining it.

During the recent Paris fashion week, she not only sat front row at Louis Vuitton, but also Balmain and Dior, and even made a cameo in a recent episode of fashion favourite Emily in Paris carrying her favourite £3,800 Lady Dior bag. French Vogue is enamoured – on social media they captioned a picture of Macron carrying what they renamed her “First Lady Dior” bag.

US – Jill Biden

While Melania Trump was known for her taste for designer skirt suits, and Michelle Obama her championing of up-and-coming American designers, Dr Jill Biden hasn’t forged quite such a strong sartorial identity during her husband’s tenure in office.

One brand she has consistently worn, however, has been the godfather of American fashion, Ralph Lauren, whose fashion show she also attended in New York last month. Mingling with A-listers and posing for selfies, Dr Biden wore a boxy black suit by the designer, accessorised with a diamond brooch. She’s often turned to Ralph to create bespoke looks for her on special occasions, notably the cornflower blue skirt suit she wore for King Charles III’s coronation, and the baby blue sequin gown she wore at the recent Democratic National Convention.

Japan – Yuko Kishida

The First Lady of Japan since 2021, Yuko Kishida has had limited opportunities to show off her sartorial savoir-faire internationally – although when she has, her outfits have been nothing short of chic.

Case in point was last year, when she wore a custom-made green saree for the G20 summit in India, which she accessorised with silver jewellery and a traditional bindi. Clearly well-versed in the art of diplomatic dressing, she showed similar finesse when she visited the US in April, wearing a traditional Japanese kimono to plant a cherry blossom tree within the White House grounds, an act that was particularly symbolic due to the country’s past history.

She’s clearly also game for a bit of mega-watt glamour, too, wearing a sculptural purple gown for the White House reception gala she attended with her husband, which perfectly complemented Jill Biden’s sequin Oscar de la Renta gown in a similar hue. Her favourite day-to-day bag, notably, is a £1,095 Bayswater by British brand Mulberry.

Denmark – Bo Tengberg

Denmark’s First Gentleman, the film director Bo Tengberg, is known for cutting a dashing figure. When it comes to dressing for official engagements, he usually lets his wife, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, take the lead, often echoing her style in his own looks. It’s his subtle Scandi styling tricks that make him stand out – a popped coat collar here, a single breasted suit jacket buttoned up there – as well as a dedication to pocket squares and brooches.

Iceland – Bjorn Skulason

Iceland’s Bjorn Skulason looks similarly sharp in a suit. The wellness entrepreneur (he has his own marine collagen brand) often opts for blue (marine) suits with a Seventies edge – think narrow-cut jackets and skinny-fit trousers. He’s modelled himself as a sort-of Instagram influencer, posting behind the scenes pictures of the first family making Kleinur (Icelandic donuts) at home in their Scandi knitwears, or wearing matching mirrored sunglasses in the Blue Lagoon.

Ukraine – Olena Zelenska

Ukraine’s Olena Zelenska’s relationship with fashion is a complicated one. In 2022, her appearance as a digital cover star for Vogue sparked much debate on social media, while the fact she has a stylist on her staff, Natalia Kamenska, has also raised eyebrows at a time when her countrymen may feel they have more pressing issues to worry about.

Yet no one has done more to showcase the talent of Ukraine’s burgeoning fashion industry than Zelenska – a task she began long before Putin’s tanks crossed the border.

Using fashion to communicate protest, she not only wears local designers such as The Coat, Gunia and AMG, but also specific pieces that nod to Ukraine’s distinct history separate to Russia. Examples include the vyshyvanka, a kind of traditional embroidered shirt which is symbolic of Ukraine, which she wore for National Vyshyvanka Day in 2022.

She often also wears Ukraine’s national colours, blue and yellow – a trick that any political spouse, on any budget, knows can provide a winning sartorial formula in the eyes of the public.