Akshata Murty is on a mission to cement herself as the most colourfully-dressed occupant of Number 10 to date. Joining husband Rishi Sunak for the G20 Summit in Delhi, India, she flexed her sartorial muscles in a series of vivid looks, from Saloni dresses to Raw Mango sarees.
Touching down in Delhi on Friday, Murty let G20-goers know she meant business, arriving in an voluminous floral skirt and tailored poplin white shirt by British label With Nothing Underneath, £150 (a favourite combination of hers).
Next, she changed into a mixed print, buttoned down dress by Saloni, £675, in preparation for a dinner with Sunak and other political leaders.
On one day of the event, Murty had not three, but four outfit changes. Her looks ranged from the casual (a white tee and candy cane striped skirt for a private dinner with Rishi one evening), to the more traditional: a magenta shirt dress by Indian label Drawn, which she wore for a kickabout with a group of Indian school children. She’s not a regular First Lady, she’s a cool First Lady.
Most notably, was her appearance in a £295 puff-sleeve shirt dress by the brand Manimekala. The exact same dress that Carrie Johnson has been reported to have worn to the G7 summit in Germany just last year, back when she was the First Lady of No 10. Murty did at least pick another colourway, opting for the purple paint spill pattern, as opposed to Johnson’s baby blue iteration.
The headband wearing, floaty floral dress-donning wife of Boris Johnson brought more colour to Number 10 — or Number 11, to be precise — than any other former resident, but now it seems there’s a new sheriff in town.
At the time, Johnson shared how she had rented the dress from clothing rental platform My Wardrobe HQ, as part of her commitment to endorsing sustainable fashion. It’s not known whether Murty did the same.
Other colourful looks from Murty included a blush pink saree, as well as a gold and watermelon salwar suit (a traditional Indian take on the trouser suit) which paid homage to her Indian heritage. Overall, her wardrobe pulled seamlessly from both British and Indian brands in equal measure, and supported small labels in the process.
For her final look, Murty wore a green pleated skirt with a matching lime shirt for her and Sunak’s departure from the tarmac as they returned to the UK.
While paying homage to Johnson and competing for the ‘Most Colourful Occupant of No 10’ crown, Murty passed the fashion test with flying colours, and made her own mark at the same time.
