Why Carrie Lam’s fashion choices may say more than she does
- If Hillary Clinton became synonymous with pantsuits, then Lam’s Chinese cheongsam-style dresses best sum up her conservative style
- In July her outfits were often drab, but she was back to her favoured pastels after the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office reaffirmed its support for her
Fashion pundits rarely bother to analyse the wardrobe of the city’s leader, Carrie Lam. It’s not truly relevant to the political conversation, perhaps, but then again that never stopped the public from dissecting Hillary Clinton’s pantsuits.
While some may argue the practice is sexist, or that it’s not fair that female politicians have the added minefield of fashion to navigate, those in political hot seats have long had seemingly irrelevant aspects of their lives judged.
You cannot deny, for example, that the likeability factor of former Hong Kong Governor Chris Patten increased due to his fondness for egg tarts from local bakery Tai Cheong, a food fetish that some equated with his willingness to assimilate with local culture. And in recent months, with the chief executive’s public appearances few and far between and the city’s protests intensified, Lam’s wardrobe has said more than sometimes she herself has done.
Throughout her career as chief executive, Lam has noted that while she has little interest in fashion, buys her own clothes and does not use a stylist, she understands the importance of her clothing as representative of Hong Kong’s design industries.
