Embroidered codpieces, army-inspired t-shirts and casual trainers. Using clothing to reinforce one's political stance is nothing new. That is the view of fashion historian Emma Severinsson from Lund University.
Angela Merkel achieved the unusual feat of combining uniform-like outfits with a riot of colour. Her characteristic ensembles and trouser suits, created by designer Bettina Schoenbach, were intended to reinforce her persona as a pragmatic politician who did not waste time choosing what to wear every morning.
"Using external attributes to strengthen one's position as a leader is by no means a new phenomenon. If you were a king or queen a few hundred years ago, your clothes would have emphasised wealth and luxury to create a distance between yourself and 'the people'. Through jewellery, gems and elegant attire, you demonstrated that you were worthy of power. Think of Marie Antoinette," says Emma Severinsson, a fashion historian at Lund University.
Using clothing to signal distance and dominion is perhaps the opposite of what contemporary leaders do today. Instead, clothing choices are characterised by authenticity and relatability.
"Thanks to social media, you're part of your politicians' everyday lives. Sure, it's curated, but you feel a sense of closeness to them. A politician today needs to be able to navigate both the formal sphere, where shirts, dresses and jackets are the norm, and also show a more private side of themselves. In this way, we also gain an insight into another part of politicians' wardrobes," says Emma Severinsson.
"I'm a little bit like you"
Using personal items to position oneself politically is also something that has become clear in Aftonbladet's series 'What's in my bag' - a well-known concept dating back to when fashion blogs first emerged around 2007 and bloggers showed the contents of their bags.
In Aftonbladet's series, Christian Democrat leader Ebba Busch holds up a bracelet, "paracetamol and bits and pieces" and her iPad, commenting "I work a lot on my tablet" as it appears in the frame.
"It's therefore a recycled concept imported directly from the blogosphere, where you can get a glimpse of an everyday life that's perhaps a little more chaotic and uncensored - with a certain sense of familiarity. So you're not talking about politics directly, but you're signalling something important to our contemporary life through external attributes such as make-up, iPods or whatever it may be - 'I work hard, but I'm also a bit like you'," says Emma Severinsson.
"We're all moving towards a more informal style"
Have Swedish politicians become more casually dressed over time?
"That's right. Fifty years ago, I wouldn't have been able to wear trainers whilst working as a senior lecturer at a university. It's part of a wider social trend. We're all moving towards a more informal and personal style, even in the professional sphere," says Emma Severinsson.
Trainers as workwear attracted particular attention in 2022 when the Social Democrat leader, Magdalena Andersson, turned up in trainers for a meeting with Finland's then President Sauli Niinistö.
"She'd simply forgotten to change her shoes. Today, trainers are an accepted item of clothing amongst politicians and have even been available to buy from the party's online shop. In that moment, it may not have been a deliberate strategy but something everyone can relate to, as it's relatable and, well, authentic," says Emma Severinsson.
"Thatcher took elegant power dressing to a new level"
During the election campaign, a number of politicians have turned up in what might be described as carefully chosen key garments. Few will have failed to notice the Sweden Democrat leader Jimmie Åkesson's floral shirts or the Centre Party leader Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist, who has worn checked shirts throughout the campaign.
"The shirt is, of course, an item of clothing that Thand Ringqvist herself believes is meant to signal the hard work she was accustomed to as a business leader, so it has been carefully chosen; but she probably also wants to appeal to voters in rural areas, as checked shirts are commonly worn in agricultural and forestry work," says Emma Severinsson.
Emma Severinsson mentions another British politician who has also worn the shirt, but with a slightly more elegant and personal twist.
"Margaret Thatcher certainly took elegant power dressing to a new level. One garment that has lived on is, of course, the pussy bow blouse, which Thatcher ingeniously used to replace the tie - a sign of how she broke into a male-dominated world on her own terms, that is, in a suit and skirt rather than a suit and tie. She projected authority, just like her male predecessors, but in her own way," says Emma Severinsson.
Which garments or accessories have been the most spectacular or unusual when it comes to signalling power?
"The codpieces that men wore in the 16th century to emphasise the size of their genitals. Sometimes they were padded. They could be decorated, and made from precious materials, adorned with beautiful pearls and elegant embroidery. The goal was therefore not primarily to create sexual attraction, but to display status and authority to other men," says Emma Severinsson.
