Theresa May and why her fashion matters

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In 2014, Prime Minister Theresa May revealed on Desert Island Discs that her one luxury item would be a fashion magazine - a sentiment that was to be referenced many more times than her questionable taste in music.

Months earlier, she laughed off comparisons to Cara Delevingne after wearing patent knee-high Stuart Weizman boots to greet the Queen and South Korean president. Her “lucky” tartan Vivienne Westwood suit, most recently worn to deliver her Brexit speech in January, was also worn by Cara on her 21st birthday.

Now our Prime Minister, her sartorial choices are in the spotlight more than ever, and her interest in fashion receives plenty of criticism.

"Throughout my political career, people have commented on what I wear," she told Vogue earlier this year. "That’s just something that happens, and you accept that, but it doesn’t stop me from going out and enjoying fashion. I also think it’s important to be able to show that a woman can do a job like this and still be interested in clothes."

New to the magazine industry, I’ve already been told (by someone outside of my office) that I can’t possibly care about politics if I work at a publication like Glamour, as if the two are mutually exclusive. Earlier this year Teen Vogue digital editorial director, Phillip Picardi, put it perfectly when he said: “Writing about fashion or being interested in fashion, does not preclude anybody from being concerned or informed about what’s going on in our country.”

With that in mind, in a world where success is now creating your own personal brand, perhaps May should be commended for keeping in line with the times. Whether we like it or not, dressing well can only be a positive influence on our peers and those in the position to hire us.

As someone who disagrees with many of Theresa May’s policies, I can’t help but wonder if the electorate would take Corbyn more seriously if he wasn’t pairing suits with socks and sliders.

Here, we chart the Prime Minister's style credentials...