By Shashi P.B.B. Malla

As Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s politics have evolved – from combative right-wing outsider to pragmatic central establishment leader – so, too, has her fashion sensibility (AP/Associated Press, Rome & THM/The Himalayan Times, Aug. 23).

When she became Italy’s PM in October 2022, she arrived at the office wearing a dark suit and clunky black boots, sartorial signifiers of her emergence from the fringes of the country’s right-wing politics.

Meloni now governs less radically than feared and is on the cusp of becoming Italy’s longest serving leader.

She now prefers pastel-coloured suits with wide-legged trousers that cover her high heels.

The effect is a softer look that coveys authority without confrontation, according to experts in fashion and politics.

The Nepalese premier Balendra Shah would do well to learn from Meloni’s sartorial journey. His wearing dark glasses all the time and even indoors is jarring and does not grant gravitas at all. Rather it is equivalent to the look of a Mafia boss.

In addition to the Daura Sural on formal occasions, he could experiment with wearing indigenous attire fitting the occasion. This would indeed make him a man of the people.

Meloni herself instinctively understands how important clothing is in non-verbal communication in politics, according to an Italian fashion critic and sociologist.

And we know that Italy itself is one of the Meccas of Western high fashion.

Heading into the final year of her mandate as premier, Meloni, like the other leaders of Western Europe, faces a growing challenge from the right-wing.

But unlike in Britain, France or Germany, her very sartorial choices exudes confidence!

And what the first woman to lead Italy wears carries greater weight.  

“When it comes to a woman who represents a country that is famous for fashion, and it is also one of the pillars of the economy, the issue becomes much more serious,” says a leading fashion designer (AP).

From Activist to PM

When Meloni came to office as the leader of a political party with post-fascist roots, she had been expected to be antagonistic toward Europe and extreme in her views on foreign policy.

But she has largely defied those expectations.

And her wardrobe has evolved with her political development.

In comparison, it is easy to read Trump. He always wears a suit with a red or blue tie!

Trump lacks vision and his domestic and international policies are catastrophic.

Domestically, she has pursued conservative anti-migrant policies.

At the same time, Meloni adopted a pragmatic approach toward the European Union and became one of Ukraine’s strongest supporters in its war against aggressive Russia – in the thrall of another rogue and ‘madman’.

And unlike many other so-called ‘world leaders’, she has the guts and the backbone to stand up to criticism and untruths from U.S. President Donald Trump, prompting European allies to rally around her.

“When she was a party leader of a small right-wing party, she had a small electorate that she had to relate to,” said political analyst Riccardo Alcaro of Italy’s Institute of International Affairs.

“Now she is the leader of a major EU country and has to provide an image of herself as a credible leader of a government who has ideas worth debating” (AP).

Her small Brothers of Italy party has grown from 4 percent of the vote to 2018 to close to 26 percent in 2022.

Meloni’s evolving political role in Italy, Europe and the world is reflected in her sartorial choices.

Soon after assuming office, Meloni began to wear tailored suits and more muted colours, a look fashion critics described as elegant and one that conveyed seriousness and approachability – as she appeared more frequently on the global stage.

“ Lighter colours suggest loyalty, tenderness and gentleness. With light colours, you’re more welcoming,” said Michela Bonafoni, who teaches fashion at Uni-College in Florence (AP).

Reeling in Italy’s Conservative Centre

Meloni’s current fashion choices – and political rhetoric – contrast starkly with those when she was far younger and on the cusp of her political career.

In 1996, when Meloni was 19 and a young activist, she gave an interview to a French television station.

She was decked out almost entirely in black as she organised members of a right-wing youth movement.

For a moment she let her guards down and imprudently defended Italian dictator and Fascist leader Benito Mussolini.

This could have meant the certain end of her political career.

But with time she has become more circumspect and distanced herself from the political extremism that have haunted Italy’s past [parallel to the National Socialism of Germany].

In 2008, she had her opening in Italian politics and used it to full advantage – there was no looking back.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi recognised her potential and tapped Meloni to be his youth minister.

Meloni immediately began appearing in more serious apparel in her new role, mostly dark suits with white shirts.

By the time she won Italy’s 2022 election, Meloni had already begun broadening her natural appeal.

During the election campaign she made a speech in which she passionately described herself as “a woman, a mother, a Christian”, words that later became the basis of a vital remix, and helped her gain support among conservative centrists – a vital demographic in Italy.

As premier, Meloni has rarely been seen in public wearing all-black suits and boots.

While black is widely worn in the West to look stylish, it is also the colour of mourning.

In Italy it has also long been associated with Fascism. In Nazi Germany, the dreaded SS also wore black.

These days, Meloni almost always wears trousers, avoids bold patterns and favours pastels and other neutral colours. Even her high heels are typically hidden beneath wide-cut pants.

‘Clothes do maketh the woman’.

Alcaro, the political analyst stated: “She cannot visually clash with the image she wants to project” (AP).

A necktie draws notice from Germany’s chancellor

A key moment in Meloni’s visual transformation was in 2024 during the G-7 summit in Puglia, southern Italy.

After a strong showing by her party in European Parliament elections, she welcomed world leaders to a sumptuous meeting wearing a flowing pastel pink tailored suit and palazzo pants.

By then, she had already become one of the most politically secure leaders in Europe and was increasingly comfortable on the international stage.

Her growing confidence was again on display at this year’s G-7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France where she appeared in a beige suit paired with a matching necktie.

She immediately drew notice from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who remarked surprisingly: “You’re wearing a tie today.”

“Yeah,” Meloni replied cool as a cucumber, “so you can consider me a fighter!”

Meloni has indeed strengthened the notion that women do make shrewd politicians and astute stateswomen.

The writer can be reached at: shashimalla125@gmail.com