Fashion is not perhaps something one immediately associates with politics, but as we have seen over the past few years with Michelle’s catwalk-worthy campaign trail wardrobe politicians and their first ladies, are beginning to quite literally cotton
Fashion is not perhaps something one immediately associates with politics, but as we have seen over the past few years with Michelle’s catwalk-worthy campaign trail wardrobe and the excitement generated by that M&S dress, politicians and their first ladies, are beginning to quite literally cotton on. I asked David Hellqvist, author of the Fashion in Politics blog, to share his thoughts on the fashion choices of our great leaders.
How did your interest in Fashion in Politics begin and then lead to this blog?
Before I went into journalism, I worked in fashion, then I started studying journalism, and I thought let’s combine the two into fashion journalism. I’ve always had an interest in current affairs and politics, especially looking at the personalities within politics. I normally say the blog is about the style and lifestyle of politicians: it’s a pop cultural take on politics
Throughout history fashion has been a way in which leaders have shown their power and status. For example, one can look at those grand portraits of past Kings, Queens and Nobility.
Yes, but for me it gets interesting in the 20th century – a dictator, for example, is a lot more interesting than a democratically elected politician because the ego in these people really comes out in the way they rule the country, and also the way they dress.
What do you think is the difference between politically conscious fashion and fashion in Politics? For example Vivienne Westwood’s manifesto versus France’s move toward banning the Burqa in public.
I suppose the French thing is more my thing, because that is politics coming into fashion rather than fashion coming into politics – politicians dictating what we can and cant wear, that’s pretty interesting, and scary!
Do you think the dialectic between fashion and politics has become increasingly entangled?
Politics in general has, for good and bad, become involved with celebrity. I think it seems very important for the public, but how important it really is, is a different matter. Whether Sam Cam wears Marks and Spencers isn’t really going to affect the politics. But the defence is, if in some way this increases the general interest in politics, then that is no bad thing.
Could you pick out a political fashion icon of yours?
“Evil is more elegant,” someone once said, and it’s true. Just yesterday I was writing a blog about how Kim Jong-il has been called a fashion icon. He wears platform shoes and I love the fact that he wears spectacles and sunglasses – it makes me think about him some mornings poking contact lenses into his eyes before going out and sentencing someone to death. The fact that he was described as a fashionista is pretty funny, so the story became that.
Do you think you dress politically?
I hope not!
Caroline Lever is the Assistant Editor of Another Magazine and Another Man and PA to the Editorial Director
