Italy, France and the UK are the latest countries to choose female prime ministers. Giorgia Meloni, Liz Truss and Elisabeth Borne have stepped into power without expending undue effort on wardrobe choices or downplaying their femininity – just like their other European counterparts …
Currently across Europe women are in the top jobs. Sweden’s prime minister MAGDALENA ANDERSSON won the top seat in November 2021, the first woman to hold the position and is currently leading a caretaker government; ANA BRNABIC has been serving as the prime minister of Serbia since 2017. She is the first woman and first openly gay person to hold the office; Hungary’s president KATALIN NOVAK is the first woman to hold this (largely ceremonial) post; KATERINA SAKELLAROPOULOU was elected Greece’s first female president in January 2020. Though the presidency is mainly ceremonial role, Sakellaropoulou has many feathers to her cap – she is also a trailblazer lawyer, an environmental expert and also became president of the country’s top court in 2018.
The formula: the clever and quiet but capable win elections, and the tough, clear and unfaltering remain in power. Presentation is everything to these Eurocrats – and polish suggests power. No flash, no goofy quirks, and no messy hairstyles. No style statements, and no cultural references. A clean, streamlined, upmarket look wins big.
LIZ TRUSS, 47, became the UK’s third female prime minister in August 2022, after Boris Johnston was ousted in an internal coup. Having served as Britain’s foreign minister, it has been said that Truss has been modelling her sartorial style on Margaret Thatcher, whose wardrobe was full of sensible British-made brands, from Aquascutum to Jaegar.
Block colours, short, neat suburban hairstyles and a preference for high street brands has so far defined Truss’s premiership. Karen Millen is a go-to label, another is Winser London (founded by Kim Winser the former chief executive of Pringle and Aquascutum). When she assumed power, Truss wore a dark purple Winser London dress, described on the website as “a power dress with plenty of body-con wow factor.” When she met Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II (two days before the monarch’s death) Truss relied on a similarly discreet “Arlington” dress by The Fold.
Truss is not perhaps as fashion-forward as former prime minister THERESA MAY, who was photographed for American Vogue by Annie Leibovitz in 2017. May became synonymous with flamboyant kitten heels and chunky jewellery. However, Truss has been praised by a colleague for wearing earrings from Claire Accessories, and has often been photographed in a striking pink Zara trouser suit, which may brighten up the dark days of recession ahead.
Perhaps one of the least controversial things about GIORGIA MELONI, 45, the newly-elected prime minister of Italy and leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, is her style. Her fiery words, (and Mussolini-esque slogan “God, homeland, family”) are not matched by a colourful wardrobe, rather one which prioritises comfort and confidence.
As a former journalist and single mother, Meloni has (alarmingly) backed calls for a zero-tolerance policy on illegal migration, wants EU treaties to be renegotiated and supports amending Italy’s constitution to prioritise Italian law over European law. The Guardian’s verdict: “Meloni’s party is not so much the heir to Benito Mussolini’s fascist movement as the first European copycat of the US Republican party.”
Smart-casual suits, box-fresh sneakers and sleek hair define her style. In her autobiography I am Giorgia, she revealed she was an avid childhood reader of fantasy fiction. Meloni recalls finding a “second family” and sense of belonging among the young activists. They revered Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings as a sacred text and she even dressed up as its characters during community outreach efforts. After last week’s election, there’s no need for Meloni to use cosplay anymore.
In France, ELISABETH BORNE, 61, a former engineer, was elected prime minister in May 2022 and is only the second woman to hold the position since Edith Cresson briefly occupied the office during the presidency of Socialist leader Francois Mitterrand in the early 1990s.
Borne is described as a softly-spoken career bureaucrat who has served numerous Socialist Party ministers before joining Macron’s government. “She is a real workaholic, someone who can push on until three in the morning and be back again at 7 am,” one of her former staffers has said. Borne’s stye, like her politics, is pragmatic and the embodiment of Coco Chanel’s belief, “Modesty, such elegance.”
Borne is not as glamorous as CHRISTINE LAGARDE, 66, who has been president of the European Central Bank since 2019, was inducted into the Vanity Fair Best Dressed List in 2011 and has graced American Vogue in the same year. Lagarde’s style signifiers are a range of silk scarves, chic tailoring, elegant skirt suits and a sharp haircut. She epitomises Margaret Atwood’s belief “Politics is hell in general, but I think it’s probably double hell for women because not only do you have to have a position, you have to have a hairstyle.” No-one demonstrates this better than URSULA VON DER LEYEN, 63, the first female head of the European Commission whose trademark sideswept hairstyle has earned her the nickname “the Hitchcock blonde”.
Von der Leyen has a preference for shorter, waisted blazers (more Hugo Boss Red than Jil Sander), which show off her enviable figure, honed by her passion for horse-riding. Favourite accessories are pearl stud earrings and Ferragamo-style patent shoes. When under pressure she opts for more colour. It’s a tactic she uses with aplomb. In the past, she has livened up sleek velvet jackets with eye-catching skirts, donning dresses on occasion, always pastel, flattering her flawless complexion. While her reputation may have been somewhat tarnished recently, it looks like Frau von der Leyen will weather the storm and come out the other side with her dignity – and style – intact.
While the Commission President might turn up the colour in a crisis, other Eurocrats choose to democratise their self-presentation. Take Denmark’s METTE FREDERIKSEN, at 44, the country’s youngest ever prime minister. While addressing the media during a visit to a mink farm, following the culling of 17m minks to prevent the spread of coronavirus, Fredriksen greeted broadcasters and reporters in a simple khaki parka, with her hair tied in a ponytail. As she apologised to the Danish mink farmers, she was overcome by tears and let them flow. In a moment that might signal the demise of a Eurocrat career years ago, she actually won respect in Denmark for her expression of empathy without condescension. The parka and ponytail – though pedestrian choices – highlighted her awareness of the circumstances and spoke to voters.
KATRÍN JAKOBSDÓTTIR, 46, has been the prime minister of Iceland since 2017, succeeding JOHANNA SIGURDARDOTTIR (Iceland’s first female prime minister). She’s an environmentalist whose progressive policies (she believes in wellbeing economies), aimed at closing the wage gap and achieving carbon neutrality, are a lesson in ethical leadership. Her style is all about uncontrived sophistication. It’s also recognisably Nordic, featuring clean lines, dark basics and pops of primary colour. She’s worn a cropped sweater with a drapey midi skirt and heeled oxfords to press conferences, though is not immune to the charm of a LBD and red lip. Her equanimity during a 5.5 magnitude earthquake during a web interview with The Washington Post went viral. She was recently appointed Chair of the Council of Women World Leaders.
Harvard-educated MAIA SANDU, 49, founder and president of the pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity, is Moldova’s first female prime minister. Sworn in wearing a demure grey midi dress, she pledged to end Moldova’s divisions and step up the fight against corruption, which has long been a problem in the former Soviet state. Sandu also took on a country ravaged by coronavirus – in per capita terms Moldova has had one of the worst outbreaks in Europe. The country is still waiting for funding from the International Monetary Fund, the European Union and Russia. Sandu, who previously worked for the World Bank, is likely to speed up this process. The petite brunette exudes a fragile femininity, favouring pastel colours with her hair worn in a neat “lob” (long bob). One of her style signifiers is a yellow scarf, which Sandu often wears as a reference to the Moldovan flag.
When Finnish PM SANNA MARIN, 35, appeared on the cover of local fashion magazine Trendi wearing a black blazer with a plunging neckline – and nothing underneath, a social media storm ensued. When the furore erupted, she said she wanted “to concentrate on policies not appearance.” She is loyal to Finnish brands and has worn practical styles by Marimekko, Papu, Nouk and Uhana. For her wedding to partner Markus Räikkönen, her long-sleeved satin gown with floating veil by Anniruth had a vintage vibe. It was a departure from her usual look: sleek, glossy hair, feline flicks and slim-fit trouser suits (worn with heels).
Marin is the youngest serving prime minister in the world and, equally impressive, all five parties in her coalition government are now led by women. Brought up in the southern city of Tampere in a same-sex household with her mother and her female partner, she has said: “My background influenced how I see society, how I see equality between people. But it’s not because I’m from a rainbow family that I’m in politics. I’m in politics because I thought that the older generation wasn’t doing enough about the big issues of the future. I needed to act.” Climate change is a central pillar of her agenda – she has pledged that Finland will become carbon-neutral by 2035. She’s also (controversially) pro-refugee, favours a four-day working week and manages to multi-task effortlessly – she has been pictured partying in nightclubs until 4am, successfully defending her right to a social life beyond politics.
The small Baltic country of Estonia, with 1.3 million inhabitants, elected 44-year-old competition law attorney KAJA KALLAS as PM in 2018. Kallas’ mother, Siim, served as the 14th Prime Minister of Estonia and was later a European Commissioner, while her grandfather was Eduard Alver, one of the founders of the Republic of Estonia and its first chief of police. Kallas, a former MEP, has vowed to restore the country’s good name. Her policies also extend to ending public funding of the fossil fuel industry – and she has also promised to close its last shale oil power plant by 2035 and to stop drilling by 2040. Kallas has already appointed women to the senior posts in her cabinet from finance to foreign policy, while Estonia also has a female president, KERSTI KALJULAID, who has held the job since 2016. Kallas has been profiled in local women’s magazine Anne & Style, where she revealed a modern, minimalist dress sense. No doubt she is a patron of Marimo – one of the emerging fashion brands cementing Estonia’s fashion credentials on the international stage.
Swedish prime minister MAGDALENA ANDERSSON, 54, was installed in November 2021 and is currently overseeing a caretaker government, having resigned two weeks ago. Ms Andersson was the Nordic nation’s first female PM when she took office last year. As an experienced career politician, she has a reputation as a straight talker and a strong negotiator. She studied at Harvard University and Stockholm School of Economics, where she met her husband, who now works as a professor there. They have two children and enjoy hiking and barbecuing together.
Closer to home, MICHELLE O’NEILL, 45, vice-president of Sinn Féin, is poised to become Northern Ireland’s First Minister. She has been quietly upgrading her style credentials from drab to dressy. A smile, a blonde bob and power suits are the mainstay of her wardrobe, as is her love of make-up. (She has been spotted dropping a small fortune at various Estée Lauder counters).
It would be good to see O’Neill showcase Irish designers in the same way that NICOLA STURGEON, 52, the First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (Sturgeon is the first woman to hold either position) often flies the flag for Scottish design. Sturgeon is rarely seen in anything other than bold jewel colours and tailored dresses or suits that flatter her petite frame. She favours staples by Harris Tweed, occasion wear from Totty Rocks and dresses by Judy R Clark. Her signature short hairstyle with fringe is so immobile that “Does Nicola Sturgeon wear a wig?” is one of the most Googled questions about her. No wonder Sturgeon is concerned about being taken seriously for her politics. She has told The Gentlewoman, “Every time a woman politician goes in front of a camera, there are maybe 100 things that she has to worry about, consciously or subconsciously, that a man will never have to have cross his mind”. (When she met Theresa May in 2016, the day after May had become prime minister, the first photo of their meeting Sturgeon saw on social media, taken on the steps of Bute House, only showed the two women below the knee. “They wanted to talk about the shoes we were wearing,” she says.)
Regardless of their politics, all of these professional, polished and purposeful women are worthy role models for young women, who might once have been put off politics as a career. They have stepped into power without expending undue effort on wardrobe choices or downplaying their femininity. Or, in other words: “Modesty, such elegance.”
