Margaret Thatcher: The Iron Lady’s iconic style

While Margaret Thatcher was known for her significant role in British politics, she also made her mark as a true style icon of her time.

Sydney stylist Sophie Hart talks us though her impeccable taste and sophicticated style.

Margaret’s signature look of simple tailored suits is what she quickly became known for.

“I truly believe that to become a style icon, you really need to have a very strong sense of self,” Sophie says.

“Margaret knew who she was, what she liked, what she didn’t like. She knew what looked good on her, what she felt comfortable in and really wore her clothes rather than them wearing her.”

Margaret loved the ‘rather softening and pretty’ look of pussybow blouses, something which Sophie says absolutely worked in her favour.

“She matched practicality, with femininity,” Sophie says. “Her outfits were always beautifully tailored, made from quality fabrics and were suited perfectly for each occasion.

“This look will be timeless as long as Margaret Thatcher is remembered, forever! This was her statement look and it will live on as long as people let it.”

Known as the Iron Lady, Margaret’s sense of style was strong, yet feminine.

“She was a strong woman in what was then very much a man’s world and she played this to her strength by adopting firm and strong power suited attire when appropriate, balancing it out with a feminine pussy bow,” Sophie says.

Margaret knew how to stand out in a crowd, despite her choices always being sophisticated and sensible.

“I’m on duty the whole time. And it’s like wearing… as a child we used to have Sunday best, in a way I have to have best clothes seven days a week because I’m seeing people,” Margaret once said of her style.

Margaret was a fan of hats, but chose not to wear them as often when she was Prime Minister.

Margaret once said of her style “It is not unfeminine to be well-tailored” and Sophie definitely agrees with her.

“Margaret wore her tailored outfits perfectly. She balanced femininity and business very well, even integrating some very personal items such as her pearls given to her by her husband Dennis when their twins were born, which made her feel more ‘real.”

Margaret relied heavily on her look and once said that what she wore ‘became part of the job’ because she was ‘representing the country’.

While she often experimented with colour, she always maintained that her favourite shade was always ‘my party’s colour’ sapphire blue. She always maintained that intelligent women were absolutely beautiful.

“There is a nonsense about intelligent women not being beautiful. There is no genetic link between brains and beauty. Most women are far more intelligent than people give them credit for,” she said.

Margaret always stuck to the classics, including tailored suits, timeless handbags and, of course, her pearls.

“She chose to shun popular fashion trends and rather approached her clothing in a fashion of which her style will become best known for: timeless and definitive,” Sophie says.

Margaret certianly knew how to dress for the occasion, from book launches to meetings with the Queen.

“Her style very much said, “I know who I am, I know what I want.” It commanded respect amongst both men and women. Her style really reflected her day to day hard working values – for example, her choice of shoes: sharp and matched her outfits beautifully but always quite practical,” Sophie says.

A selection of her outfits were auctioned off at Christies in 2012 with the jade green wool suit worn by Margaret Thatcher on the day she was confirmed as Tory party leader in February 1975, sold at auction for AU$36,591.