Fashion guru Mary Portas has sparked controversy today with her scathing appraisal of the way female cabinet members choose to dress. “If I were PM,” she said, “I’d bloody restyle all those women. I mean, the female cabinet, what an ugly bunch. I would restyle them.
“Do you know, I could not look at them. I couldn’t look at them! I go in for meetings now and they do dress up for my meetings, but I just want to go, ‘Pleeease. No. Not that necklace. Not that skirt.’ ”
Home Secretary Theresa May, who is known for her daring leopard prints, and Conservative Party Chairman Baroness Warsi – once snapped in a pink and purple shalwar kameez – might want to take cover under a one-sized poncho today, as the full interview is published in heat magazine. But they at least have the right of reply. As the newest member of the Royal family, Kate Middleton is more likely to have to grin and bear it. Her status as a fashion icon is also torn to pieces by Portas.
“Is that fashion?” she questioned. “I think she’s done an incredible job globally, but I do not know how you can say she is a fashion icon. I just don’t get that.”
Mary Portas.
The “Queen of Shops” Mary Portas has dissed the future Queen of Great Britain Kate Middleton – pouring cold water on any suggestion that she is a “fashion icon”.
While most of the media has been falling over itself to pronounce the Duchess of Cambridge a style icon, businesswoman and TV personality Mary clearly thinks that some people have been getting a bit carried away.
Speaking in an interview with Heat magazine, she said: “Is that fashion? I think she’s done an incredible job globally, but I do not know how you can say she is a fashion icon. I just don’t get that.”
Take that Kate!
And Mary had even harsher words for the female members of the current coalition government.
She said: “If I were PM I’d bloody restyle all those women. I mean, the female cabinet, what an ugly bunch. I would restyle them.
“Do you know, I could not look at them. I couldn’t look at them! I go in for meetings now and they do dress up for my meetings, but I just want to go, ‘Pleeease. No. Not that necklace. Not that skirt’.”
Mary has been working with the government on a strategy to try to halt the decline of high street shops, in case you wondered why she was talking about cabinet meetings.
We doubt that she’ll get the nice biscuits put out next time she’s in now.
But she did have a nice word for one celeb’s style – the new Dragon’s Den tycoon Hilary Devey – and we have to say we agree wholeheartedly with her!
Mary said: “I’ve become a big Hilary Devey fan. That voice after 60 fags… That can only be 60 fags. In a camp way, it suits her, doesn’t it? In a really camp way, it slightly borders on caricature and ’80s glamour and power dressing.
“What can you say? It’s her. I wouldn’t restyle her. I think the press were a bit mean at first, but they’ve come to like her, because she’s good on that show and seems like a good person. She wants to cut back on the fags, though, because she won’t be able to do this much longer.”