Sturgeon Shows A Flair For Dressing

As Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon is constantly in the spotlight and as her political stature has grown so has her flair for dressing the part.

While at the start of her political career she blended in amongst her male counterparts in neutral colours and boxy suits, now she dresses in bold hues in tailored silhouettes that flatter her petite frame.

Bright colours such as the hot pink dress she wore for the leaders debate live on STV in early April ensure she stands out at the podium, and she also uses her high profile to champion Scottish designers.

For the launch of the Scottish Government's White Paper in November 2013 the then Deputy First Minister wore a jacket by Judy R Clark who was named Scottish Womenswear Designer of the Year 2013.

The black Harris Tweed jacket, which she teamed with a pillarbox red dress, had cuffs of Ayrshire lace.

Ms Sturgeon has also built up a relationship with Edinburgh based design company Totty Rocks, wearing their creations for many key events.

She wore the label's red bow pencil dress on the day she became First Minister in November 2014, also choosing to wear it in her official portrait which was unveiled in March.

The politician wore a pink Totty Rocks jacket, paired with a black dress, to meet the Queen in December, while the dress she wore for the STV debate also came from the range.

The label, which is designed and produced in Scotland, has counted Kate Moss, America Ferrera, Sandi Thom and Gok Wan among its celebrity clients.

Holly Mitchell, who designs the range along with Lynsey Blackburn, said it was wonderful to have the First Minister's support.

She said: It's absolutely fantastic for us. We really admire her as a person. We followed the referendum so it has meant a lot to us to be dressing her.

Her PA got in touch just before she was getting sworn into parliament because she wanted to showcase a Scottish designer with what she was wearing. She is using it as a platform to support local businesses so it was really driven by her. Since then she has really seemed to like the styles and has ordered a lot of others.

I think it's fantastic she is showcasing Scottish design. It is a great thing that she has done. So many people just have the choice of Harvey Nichols and the high street or high end high street with amazing designers from across the world but she has chosen to use us so that she is putting her money where her mouth is. She wants to support local businesses and that's what she's doing.''

Speaking about her relationship with the label in a recent STV documentary, Ms Sturgeon said: I thought if people were going to talk about what I wear, wouldn't it be good if they were talking about who designed it, who made it and if that's a Scottish company, so teaming up with Totty Rocks has been fantastic.''

She added: It still annoys me when I read really derogatory things about how a woman looks because you would usually not read these things about a man, and that still has the potential to put women off public life, and that's a real shame.''

While some of Ms Sturgeon's Totty Rocks clothes are off the peg, the pink dress for the leaders debate was bespoke as the designers offer both ready-made and made-to-measure.

The SNP leader also uses fashion to bring a Scottish flavour to events, wearing a tartan jacket for her meeting with Prime Minister David Cameron at Holyrood in January this year and tartan heels at the annual party conference last November.

Clothes from the high street also feature in her wardrobe, such as the green Hobbs dress she wore on the campaign trail early in April, while for less formal events such as a charity football match in 2008 she teamed jeans with a simple white shirt for a crisp yet casual look.

As the election campaign intensifies, Ms Sturgeon has ensured that her wardrobe is one thing she doesn't have to worry about.