One week you're working quietly for the NHS in occupational health, the next week you're rubbing shoulders with world leaders at a NATO summit in Washington as the (unofficial) 'first lady' of the UK.
It's been quite a transition for Lady Starmer, a woman who's largely remained in the shadows during her husband's rise from Labour leader to prime minister. But one thing we've learned about her in the past seven days? She can already call herself a fashion influencer. The red Me+Em dress she wore to Downing Street last Friday sold out in days and drove a 300 percent increase in traffic to the dress's page on the brand's website.
If Lady Starmer has so far shunned interview opportunities, she has chosen instead to speak through her sartorial choices. It's a strategy she has consolidated during her first week as the prime minister's wife, a period that has included a foreign diplomatic mission and a trip to the races.
As we might have predicted from a woman who fiercely protected her family's privacy and her own career during her husband's political rise, Lady Starmer has not undergone a dramatic Downing Street makeover. Instead, she has emphasised her refreshing approach, opting for a mix of labels that mark her out as an ambitious, everyday woman, while subtly upholding the government's political goals.
That may sound like a difficult contradiction, but Lady Starmer is no fashion amateur. As one mother who knows her from the local Camden mothers' circuit told me Gratitude magazine: "She's streamlined and polished, the one who pushes us to raise our game."
That was evident last Saturday when, fresh from celebrating her husband's historic landslide, she headed to Sandown for the day to indulge in one of her personal passions: horse racing. She showed off another purchase from her recent Me+Em splurge, a £365 floral drawstring maxi dress that looked effortless yet elegant, especially when paired with Gucci sunglasses.
If the Lib Dems were targeting seats based on whether they had a Gail's bakery, then Lady Starmer's style would appeal to the similarly affluent Me+Em woman who might throw on her latest purchase from the label to grab a coffee with her girlfriends. "Every piece we make is designed to be camera-ready, whether it's shirts that are made from a crease-resistant fabric, or pockets that are positioned so that they don't add bulk, we don't want our customers to ever have to worry that their outfit doesn't look impeccable," a spokesperson for the label told me. The Telegraph earlier this week.
Next came Lady Starmer's simple but revealing departure dress. Leaving the UK on Tuesday night, Lady Starmer achieved what so many of us strive for and often fail to achieve: looking relaxed without being too casual. Opting for a simple white knit dress, the Prime Minister's wife looked suitably smart without looking like she'd spent hours agonizing over her outfit.
She returned to Needle and Thread, a British brand known for its floaty, sparkly womenswear, which she also wore to the Japanese state banquet at Buckingham Palace last month, when she attended as the wife of the Leader of the Opposition. On that occasion, she opted for a sparkly £725 cape dress - a classic example of the brand's aesthetic. At Stansted, she opted for a more muted £450 lace knit - the kind of dress you could just as easily wear to the beach as dress up for a party (or even a NATO meeting).
Hannah Coffin, founder and CEO of Needle and Thread, said The Telegraph that she was "delighted" to see Lady Starmer wear her designs. "She looked stunning and elegant in our Heart Lattice dress at Buckingham Palace and in our Lace Knit dress on her first overseas trip as First Lady," she said. "It's wonderful to see her using female-founded, independent British brands to represent British style on these occasions and we're honoured that she has chosen to wear us."
Coffin highlights the significance of Lady Starmer's choice of UK-based labels like Needle and Thread and Me+Em, which were not only founded by women but have grown into commercially successful businesses with global relevance. What's also striking is that these brands are recognisable in a way that, say, Brigitte Macron's wardrobe of ultra-luxury Louis Vuitton or Jill Biden's bespoke designer outfits simply aren't.
In Washington, Lady Starmer showed off her diplomatic credentials for the first time. Earlier in the week, the new prime minister said: "We intend to improve our relationship with the EU and that means closer trading relations with the EU." So it was fitting that his wife visually symbolized those ties by choosing a £320 Labour-red pleated dress from French retailer The Kooples for a ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of NATO at the White House on Wednesday night.
Lady Starmer stood alongside the prime ministers of Bulgaria and the Netherlands, and the president of the European Council and his wife. Her Labour red dress served not only as a reminder of the election victory but also as a symbol of her husband's foreign policy ambitions.
Lady Starmer was first spotted at The Kooples the weekend before the election, when she attended a rally alongside her husband in a £425 floral midi from the brand. If you read nothing more about her choices, take heart in the fact that edgy French labels can make fluttery dresses just as well as sharp tailors.
Until Thursday, when Lady Starmer took center stage in a series of posts on X by Ukraine's first lady, Olena Zelenska. In what appeared to be a cozy get-together over tea and biscuits, Zelenska explained how she was "delighted to meet Lady Victoria Starmer... We have many common topics in the healthcare sector." Their meeting proved to be the perfect example of the impact of different soft power style strategies - while Zelenska opted for armor-like white tailoring, her British counterpart stuck to her love of a great-priced midi dress.
Was delighted to meet Lady Victoria Starmer, the Prime Minister's wife @Keir_Starmeron the sidelines of the NATO summit. We have many common topics in the healthcare sector. Moreover, the team of 🇺🇦 experts is currently learning from 🇬🇧 best practices in building a mental support system. photo.twitter.com/5KjVzJkuh3
- Olena Zelenska / Noble Smith (@ZelenskaUA) July 11, 2024
Lady Starmer once again flew the flag for the British "high-high street" in a £179 cheetah print dress from Whistles. "It's really exciting and an incredible honour to see Lady Victoria Starmer wearing Whistles and supporting British brands," said Camille Sullivan, Product Director at Whistles. "In an ever-changing market, it's so important to the retail landscape to be represented by someone with her global influence and it shines a light on what British brands have to offer the market."
Want more style lessons from Lady Starmer's first foray into world stage style? This is a woman who knows exactly what looks good on her. Every silhouette in this week's line-up is a variation on a flattering fit-and-flare silhouette that's fitted through the waist and bust and flowy through the legs and hips.
She probably has at least another five years to develop her first lady look, but at least Lady Starmer has gotten off to a stylish start.
