MARGARET THATCHER, THE IRON LADY
Margaret Thatcher was the Prime Minister of England, who served from 1979 to 1990. Margaret entered No. 10 Downing Street in 1979 as the country first woman Prime Minister in a Royal Blue Skirt and Jacket with her bag by her side; and she was known for her indomitable two-piece suits. For Thatcher, it wasn’t only the meaning of the clothes that mattered, but so much as their visual effect, the way she carried them off, the histological context that shaped them and the way she wore them. Thatcher’s British-made suits, were conservatively tailored, adorned with pockets, buttons and a signature brooch, often seen as a confirmation of something quintessentially “British”. She often chose from a selection sent to her by the British retailer Marks & Spencer and the off-the-peg outfits from Aquascutum which she considered a solid heritage brand.
Since the Middle Ages, fashion has been a marker of gender difference. In the 1950s, Margaret was said to be positively girlish, showing off her soft side when wore floral dresses to hang out with President Ronald Reagan. Thatcher was however keenly aware of the power of clothes and what they signify. And in the era of the 1980s, where men still ruled, her clothes she knew could be both a shield and a statement about female power. Thatcher was very aware of her image and used clothing as a tool of power and hence adopted the signature “power-dressing” style of the 1980s. As the first major female political leader of the West, Thatcher had a look that was scrutinized like no male politician who came before her. Mrs. Thatcher expressed in her persona exactly where working women stood in the 1980s, on low-heeled court shoes and in tailored suits that were a carapace of protection in what was still essentially a man’s world. She expressed precisely where feminism stood in 1980s. As a powerful woman in a predominantly masculine environment, she used the wardrobe as a strategic tool to inspire confidence and project authority. She understood the power of image, especially in a media-driven world and inspired female leaders around the world to follow her example. By the 1980s, the power suit was a form of antagonistic expression, the aesthetic of doing battle in the office. The shoulder pads, the pencil skirts and the pointy-toed pumps could be read as an armor for women, helping them to assimilate into a man’s world while simultaneously communicating the subversive sexual charge of female power. Thatcher was not the first woman to rock the power suit, Katherine Hepburn and Coco Chanel did, however she was the first woman to walk the halls of parliament as Prime Minister in it. Thatcher wore pantsuits that later became the uniform of women in power from Hillary Rodham Clinton to Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor.
Like many politicians, she created a personal style to project her political values. Thatcher had her own sartorial staples; a string of pearls given to her by husband Denis, pussy bow silk blouses, high-necked floral patterned blouses, shoulder padded varied fitted skirt suits in mostly varied shade of blue, royal to navy and the iconic Asprey handbag. Thatcher had a steely-eyed confidence combined with a keen appreciation for elegant fabrics and well-made clothes as her mother had been a dressmaker. They were a symbol of the past reflecting a more conservative family. Her black classic leather tote had become symbolic to her authoritative power in her political career, thus coining the term “hand bagging”. The Asprey handbag became synonymous with her conservative yet feminine style.
She sought to embody conservative value while also seeking to assert her right to power as a woman. Her style reference always matched to emphasize her conservative values. The conservative blue was a recurring colour in her wardrobe such as the Blue Wool Aquascutum suit she wore to the conservative party conference in Blackpool in 1987 and again to cast her ballot in that year’s winning election. She had a reputation as a fierce leader, however she wore tailored skirt suits with padded shoulders which were softened by pussycat bows with brooch was pinned to the left lapel, while luscious played off against Iron Lady lacquered hair. The pussy bow blouse clashed with the aggressive power suits, was feminine, fussy and ornate. Also she sought to represent a certain version of Britishness that shinned in strong tradition of Military and Royal clients or citizens. Thatcher’s penchant for statement suits contributed to her reputation as the original female power-dresser, and her tactical clothing choices have undoubtedly influenced politicians and in fact, all working women. In a parliament room full of men wearing blue and grey / gray pinstripes suits, her outfits were deliberating eye-catching in graphic tailoring in bold hues. She said, “it was extremely important that the impression I gave was right for the political occasion”. Jane Tynan, a lecturer in fashion history at Central St. Martin’s School of Art in London, critiqued that “the tendency to scrutinize what women wear is a reflection of a sexist society that draws attention away from the real work they do in politics”. Thatcher was once elected to the international Best Dressed List in 1988, as an influential role model “of classic middle-of-the-road elegance” and she credited her best dressed award to the Aquascutum wardrobe.
A selection of outfits from Thatcher’s collection were generously donated to the museum by her twin children Mark & Carol Thatcher and grandchildren Michael & Amanda Thatcher. Thatcher’s outfits have been deemed museum worthy, as the fashion galleries at South Kensington’s Victoria and Albert Museum now display three significant ensembles that belonged to the Prime Minister, including the distinctive sapphire blue wool Aquascutum suit, a costume designed brocade suit by British label Aquascutum with a taffeta opera cape worn to deliver the keynote speech at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet at London’s Guildhall in 1988 that many people associate with her image. The museum also acquired a fuchsia wool crepe suit by Starzewski that she wore to the Women of Achievement reception at Buckingham Palace in 2004; plus the feather-topped black slub silk hat with feathers and velvet-flecked tuck designed by Deida Acero, which she wore to her husband Sir Denis’ funeral in 2003. Her wardrobe choices reflected her role as a stateswoman, and the context in which those pieces were worn reflects significant moments of social and political history of the late 20th Century, as well as her life after office.
Margaret Thatcher finally left office on November 28, 1990 and was deemed to be British’s longest serving Prime Minister. Thatcher was undeniably a revolutionary figure and much talked about in terms of women’s power and in the fashion world for her fashion sense. Thatcher’s politics became inseparable from her image, and her unwavering nature was reflected in her unique style and art of power dressing. She was mocked and famed at the same time for her style. Though having a fashion success as a woman in politics was challenging, she developed a signature style that became instantly associated with her.
