Since she entered office in July, there has been a lot of interest in the clothes worn by Theresa May, Britain's Prime Minister.
May is an unusual politician in fashion terms, because she actually seems to pay attention to fashion. She subscribes to Vogue and is a fan of Vivienne Westwood. There are not many other politicians in Britain who have been photographed wearing leopard-print shoes. But not all of the interest in May's fashion choices is positive. And perhaps not all of it is fair.
Over the past week, May has faced remarkable scrutiny for wearing a pair of 995 ($1745) chocolate-coloured leather pants by designer Amanda Wakeley during a photo shoot for the Sunday Times.
A former ally, Conservative MP Nicky Morgan, whom May fired from her Cabinet position in July, said: "I don't have leather trousers. I don't think I've ever spent that much on anything apart from my wedding dress." Morgan and other critics suggested that May's trousers are a sign that she is out of touch. But many of Britain's male politicians wear more expensive clothing all the time.
And, as some May supporters pointed out, they face nowhere near the scrutiny she does. Former Prime Minister, David Cameron, was known to have a taste for Savile Row tailor Richard James, whose suits can cost more than US$4000, during his first few years in office. Across the Atlantic, President-elect Donald Trump has a long-standing love of Italian label Brioni's suits. These suits tend to cost US$5000 or so. Trump has moved towards Brooklyn tailor Martin Greenfield, who has also made suits for President Barack Obama. A suit from Greenfield can cost about US$2000.
