It might seem like a trifling point, compared to the heavy hitting policies and the small matter of the future of the country, but what Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak choose to wear on the campaign trail is weighted with meaning.
Image is everything in politics – see the damage done by that bacon sandwich when Ed Milliband was running a decade ago – so how politicians present themselves can make all the difference.
Recall how Sir Winston Churchill cemented his statesman grandeur in siren suits and Homburg X hats, or how Barack Obama gained broad appeal by looking approachable, contemporary and relevant in a tan J Crew suit.
Almost two weeks into the campaign, Sunak and Starmer’s style choices have already made headlines, from Sunak donning a £750 rucksack to visit Cornwall and thus sending an accidental reminder of his luxury lifestyle with a billionaire father-in-law.
Starmer’s has attempted a workaday approach, but raised eyebrows when it was pointed out that his black jacket was by Paris brand Sandro and cost £500.
Here’s what the pair have been seen wearing recently.
Rishi Sunak’s trainers mix-up
Fresh from Samba-gate, where he issued a tongue-in-cheek apology to the Adidas Samba community for wearing them and subsequently causing sales of the trainer to slump dramatically in the UK, Sunak walked into a fresh faux-pas on Sunday.
While canvassing in that notoriously hard-to-crack seat – Westminster-adjacent Pimlico – the PM posted a tweet declaring ‘Sun’s out. Sambas on. Secure future.’
How down with the kids.
Except the trainers in question weren’t Sambas, they were Samoas, another variation from Adidas. What’s a little thing like detail, eh?
Rishi Sunak’s pricey accessory
Rishi Sunak looked rather bemused at the notion of taking a train – no surprise really, given how expensive they are these days. He opted to wear a democratic grey hoodie for his journey – something of a perennial in his wardrobe – but it was the backpack that attracted attention.
It’s a £750 model from Tumi, in keeping with his fondness for tech gadgetry. He also has a £180 smart mug.
Keir Starmer’s black jacket
The Labour leader tends to prefer a downplayed stance in how he dresses – a deliberate move that’s more ‘man of the people’ than Sunak, involving outdoorsy ‘dad’ jackets and black shirts instead of the more standard, corporate white.
His neat black jacket is fairly nondescript – exactly as he wants it – but it’s from cult Paris house Sandro, known for its Left Bank insouciance, and costs £500. Although in terms of cost-per-wear, he’s certainly getting a lot of use out of it.
That soaked suit
Oh dear, it really did take a drenching, didn’t it? It’s been a particularly grey summer, and Rishi Sunak didn’t help his cause in choosing to announce the general election outside Downing Street in a torrential downpour.
You can see what they were going for – a kind of dramatic, graphic novel noir to underline the seriousness of the moment – but Sunak looked defeated before he had started. It’s become one of the most enduring political image of recent years.
As for the suit – which is likely courtesy of his Bloomsbury tailor Henry Herbert, costing upwards of £3000 – we hope it’s found salvation at a Westminster dry cleaners.
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