Many would have expected Lady Starmer to keep a low profile, rather than fan the flames by attending London Fashion Week, writes LAURA CRAIK

Many would have expected Lady Starmer to keep a low profile, rather than fan the flames by attending London Fashion Week, writes LAURA CRAIK By Laura Craik Published: 22:54, 16 September 2024 | Updated: 22:55, 16 September 2024 e-mail View comments Amid the pantheon of VIPs that have graced London Fashion Week, few have been as unexpected as Lady Starmer. Her presence at Edeline Lee’s spring/summer 2025 show yesterday morning was almost as surprising as the appearance of the Queen, who in 2018 stunned the fashion industry by taking a front-row pew at Richard Quinn’s show. While the late Queen’s appearance was a one-off to mark Quinn winning The Queen Elizabeth II Award For British Design, there was no such logic behind the presence of Lady Starmer.

Rather than appearing in any formal capacity, it seems that the Prime Minister’s wife simply wanted to show support for one of her favourite designers. Canadian-British Lee studied at Central Saint Martins and worked at Alexander McQueen before launching her label in 2014. She uses fabrics that resist wrinkling so ‘women can function at a high level in the clothes’.

Lady Starmer saw fit to unleash a power move of her own yesterday. While her navy blue ‘Tammy’ jacket (£1,200) was off the peg, she teamed it with wide-legged trousers and matching pussy-bow blouse in a bold white and navy polka dot print, were variations of the same polka dot theme Lee showed on the runway Lady Victoria Starmer with her husband Sir Kei.