Best foot forward: Angela Rayner has the knack of looking as though she is about to pull a pint in the Dog and Duck One obvious question in the Labour cash for fashion row remains unspoken. Why, when top Labour politicians have taken so much money from donors to buy new clothes, don't they look a bit better? The Chancellor's suits are business-like, but too stiff and boxy. Rachel Reeves is at least smarter than Angela Rayner, who has the knack of looking as though she is about to pull a pint in the Dog and Duck, no matter how much expensive clobber she wears.
Sir Keir Starmer just looks dull, despite the designer specs. Many of you will be thinking this is trivial – it's how they perform that matters, not what they wear. Absolutely right – in theory.
In practice, what we wear at work matters a lot. Our apparel sends out messages, some of which we intend and some of which we don't, about our status, our competence, our self-image and much else besides. Covid wreaked havoc with what little sense of how to dress at work many of us had.
While working from home,...
Ruth Sunderland.