Apart from the furore around a pair of earrings from Claire's, not much has been said about the wardrobe of Liz Truss. But now that she's the new leader of the Conservative party - not to mention the Prime Minister - she can expect what she wears to come under significantly more scrutiny (for better or worse). Margaret Thatcher had her handbags, Theresa Mayher leopard print shoes. But for today's announcement, Truss indicated that she might have a different sartorial strategy up her sleeve.
For the moment that will appear on newspapers around the world tomorrow morning, Truss wore a collared, long-sleeved, knee-length dress. While its silhouette didn't venture much in the way of statements (political or otherwise), its colour was more notable: purple. Not blue, which might have been the obvious choice, but a colour that in recent years has become something of a uniform for certain members of the political elite.
At last year's Inauguration Ceremony, almost every important attendee chose purple. Michelle Obama wore a top-to-toe plum ensemble by Sergio Hudson. Vice President Kamala Harris wore a violet dress coat from Christopher John Rogers. Jill Biden stood by her husband's side wearing a cinch-waisted amethyst coat by Jonathan Cohen (along with lilac gloves). And, last but not least, Hillary Clinton arrived in one of her signature suits from Ralph Lauren, this time in a shade that might as well be called Power Purple.
Could Liz Truss have been subtly aligning herself with the likes of such seasoned power players? Possibly. Another potential motive, pointed out at the time of the inauguration by Grazia's Laura Antonia Jordan, is that not only is purple one of the colours associated with the suffrage moment, but it could be perceived as a nod to bipartisan politics (red + blue = purple). That interpretation might not seem likely in this case from one of the earlier lines in her speech - 'During this leadership campaign, I campaigned as a Conservative and I will govern as a Conservative,' - but bearing in mind that she is now responsible for guiding the entire country through a cost of living crisis, and will have two years to convince the country that her party should hold on to power in the next election in 2024, how to keep as many voters as happy (or should that be as warm?) as possible is going to be critical.
It's just a theory - but let's see what she wears to move into her new home.