Carrie Johnson Takes A Leaf Out Of Kate Middleton’s Style Playbook With A £59.99 Blazer From Zara

The dilemmas that Carrie Johnson must face when getting dressed are, one assumes, similar to those which the Duchess of Cambridge contends with on a daily basis. Chiefly, how do you slot into the rigid eco-system the formal and fusty family business that, via marriage, you have found yourself at the epicentre of – in her case the Conservative party, in Kate Middleton’s the ‘firm’ – without losing your identity as a 30-something woman? You must know how to get the right sort of attention (the masterclass: Middleton at last week’s Bond premiere) without seeming hungry for headlines – desperation is not a good look on anyone. You need to appear aspirational as well as attainable, glossy yet grounded. It must be exhausting.

Unsurprisingly, Johnson appears to be taking style notes straight from the Duchess playbook, in both look and spirit. You could see it at this summer’s G7 Summit and you can see it again now at the Conservative Party conference. Arriving in Manchester she wore a ribbon-collared blouse and red blazer costing £59.99 – strikingly similar to the style Middleton wore to the Euro finals – both from Zara. Against the backdrop of a pandemic ravaged economy, pitching up in couture would have spelled political disaster. That is, of course, where Melania Trump got it very, very wrong.

Like the Duchess of Cambridge, Johnson has had to be quick to adjust to the art of diplomatic dressing. So, yes, that means embracing achievable price points (as well as the Zara she has also worn boots from Jigsaw) but it also means championing British brands. For this, see the red smock dress from family-run Somerset brand Cabbages & Roses, which also has the sustainable credentials that Johnson has made part of her sartorial PR strategy.

As for the ‘look’? Johnson veers towards a boho style made safe for middle England (who could forget that Coachella-lite floral crown from her wedding?). Midi prairie dresses – polite, demure, but with enough waft as to hint at a free-spirited side – are the closest she has got to establishing a style signature to date. Whether or not you think that the wife of a Conservative Prime Minister is actually free-spirited is down to personal discretion.

Fashion’s power is to give us a glimpse into the person. We are all trying to communicate something through our clothes. A punt, is that Johnson’s dresses are intended to show the softer, more touchy-feely side of the Conservative party. But fashion’s power is that it is also to be enjoyed. Can we, therefore, say that Johnson is a style icon? That term is thrown around too liberally, and while her looks are inoffensive there’s a blandness that means calling her out as a breakthrough style star is grandiose and premature.

That might not be here aim, however. Perhaps just the fact that we are talking about her is victory – because when we’re doing that, we’re taking our eyes off the things that really matter.