After weeks of heated political hustings amidst the ever-growing cost of living crisis, Liz Truss has taken the keys to Number 10 and become our new Prime Minister.
The foreign secretary formally assumed her position today after Boris Johnson finally accepted defeat and handed his resignation to the Queen. Truss has enjoyed frontrunner status throughout the leadership battle, as her component Rishi Sunak could not shake the political hot water he found himself in over his personal finances prior to candidates being announced.
Analysts have suggested that Liz Truss' relatively low profile with the public has worked in her favour, as the political climate has been so saturated with scandal under Johnson's reign that Tory MPs will be angling for someone to improve the reputation of the party.
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Truss may have some wiggle room to mould herself into the ideal candidate for the public ahead of the next general election, but there's one former PM that she has been constantly compared to throughout the leadership contest: Margaret Thatcher.
It's a comparison that she publicly rejects, but arguably leans into, as she regularly gushes over Thatcher's policies and borrows plenty of sartorial inspiration from the controversial leader - so much so that her outfit choices have been memefied online owing to their overt similarity.
Ironically, Truss has transformed from an anti-Thatcher protester as a child in the 1980s and leading Oxford University’s Liberal Democrat society to a Tory darling praised for her right-wing politics - a shift her critics are quick to point out.
According to Truss, Thatcher is an icon because 'she turned our country around' during a tough period - she even brands her as a 'world-changing leader'. Our new PM told a political hustings in Leeds that there was a 'growing sense of optimism about the future' in the 1980s - a spirit she looks to invoke in today's politics.
But Thatchermania did nothing for our last female PM's popularity as the obsession with the Iron Lady's ideologies is not shared by all voters. If the Tories want to retain their dominance over the Red Wall seats, they would do well to suggest that Truss stops borrowing shoulder pads and pussybow blouses from Thatcher's archives.
As Truss becomes PM, we chart the undeniable resemblance between her and Thatcher's wardrobes - from huge fur hats to power suits.
Pussybow blouse
Perhaps the most uncanny outfit resemblance between the two female leaders, Truss' penchant for pussybow blouses is no accident.
During a tory leadership debate in July, Truss chose to emulate Thatcher's infamous look by plumping for a flouncy blouse and dark blue suit.
Proving that sartorial statements have long been a political tool, it was strikingly similar to Thatcher's outfit during her 1979 election broadcast.
Eagle-eyed onlookers have also pointed out that Truss went for a slightly bouncier hairdo at the event, echoing the former PM's notorious bouffant look.
This isn't the first time Truss has plumped for a frilly blouse and suit jacket combo - in January she donned a similar outfit during talks with Maros Sefcovic over Northern Ireland's post-Brexit deadlock.
This particular top had a less prominent bow, but it still echoed the same Thatcherite style.
The fur hat
In February, Liz Truss flew to Moscow as foreign secretary to have tough talks with her counterpart Sergei Lavrov, warning against an invasion of Ukraine.
Truss was mocked by Russian state media over her headwear choice, as despite being prepared for the cold climes, they claimed there was a 'thaw' at the time of the foreign secretary's visit.
The photos also became the perfect fodder for online memes, with one Twitter user going as far as comparing her look to that of a 'charity shop record cover'.
Plenty of people also branded Truss' outfit as Thatcher-esque as the late PM wore a similar hat during a visit to the Soviet union in 1987.
On the tank
Another state visit that welcomed photo-op mockery, Truss was pictured donning military gear while sat on a tank in Estonia last year.
The then-foreign secretary was visiting British troops in the country, while gathering with Nato allies to discuss Russia's military presence near Ukraine's border.
Her diplomacy wasn't the talking point of the trip, however, as people joked online over her military get-up.
They also drew parallels between Thatcher's near-identical 1986 photo where she sat in a British Army tank while on a visit to troops in Germany.
The motorbike
It's not just military tanks that Truss enjoys riding, but motorbikes too. In 2021, she was pictured posing on a Triumph motorcycle during a visit to the company's factory in Thailand.
Posting the photo to Twitter, Truss boasted about the business connections the company had to the UK, claiming that 'closer economic ties deliver jobs and prosperity'.
She wore a black padded coat reminiscent of the classic biker jackets that motorcyclists often wear, along with white trousers and brown loafers.
Many people were quick to point out the similarities between Truss' selfie and Thatcher's pose on a police motorcycle in 1978.
The then-leader of the opposition was snapped wearing a helmet during a visit to the Met Police North London Area Traffic Division.
Royal blue
Ever the power dresser, Thatcher was renowned for enjoying a sharp shoulder pad, suit sets, pearls and royal blue get-ups.
Her signature colour was enjoyed in momentous moments of her career - from her famous 'No! No! No!' speech in parliament in 1990, in which she vehemently opposed the UK becoming closer connected with Europe, to greeting Tory party members at a Blackpool 1989 Conservative conference donning a double breasted, brilliant blue blazer.
Truss has taken a fancy to the same royal blue, as she has been pictured wearing strikingly similar outfits as she rose up the political ranks.
During a hustings debate with her opponent Rishi Sunak in July, she wore a £200 blue pencil dress with bold rushed detailing on the shoulders and a deep neckline.
She also wore a similar frock shortly after landing the foreign secretary gig in 2021, as she was snapped leaving downing street amidst a cabinet reshuffle.
Plumping for royal blue during major career milestones certainly feels like a Thatcher power move.
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