What the wives of the powerful know about their spouses’ dressing up for occasions is not anything new: through the ages, politicians have known that clothes maketh the man. Leaders such as John F Kennedy in the last century and Keir Hardie, who in the 19th century became the first Labor MP in the UK’s Parliament to don a working man’s suit and tweed cap, proved that appearance supplements performance. In this century, Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, are making fashion statement after statement, and politics and fashion have become entwined as never before.
With the political upheavals that have recently come to pass politicians and how they look is hot topic again, so myrepublica.com has asked the wives of some of our prominent leaders to spill the beans on the fashion and health world of their better halves and to give some suggestions on how to improve our leaders’ sense of style.
Bina Mahat, wife of Prakash Sharan Mahat , Central Leader of Nepali Congress and Minister of Water Resources
When it comes to clothes and food, he [Prakash] is not too finicky. But he is really concerned about health issues. Even if he has a minor headache he thinks that he has got some disease and consults doctors. Even before we got married, I had heard that he was like this.But after our marriage, I’ve tried to at least make changes to his wardrobe. Whenever I am shopping, I select clothes for him as well. I am very particular regarding clothes and colors. For evening receptions, I choose white shirts for him, and make sure that no light-colored suits make their way into the shopping list; those things do not suit him. I feel that darker suits complement his looks, and daura-surwals probably bring out the best in him. In fact, after his recent appointment as minister by the new government, I brought him two sets of daura-surwal---one white and one light grey; those colors work well during the hot season.
As far as other clothes go, I ask him to not to wear half-sleeved shirts because he has long and lean hands. He likes to wear cotton pants, which wrinkle fast, so I have asked him to avoid them for day-long meetings.
Kalpana Dhamala, wife of Debendra Poudel, Central Leader of Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist)
Since our thoughts and ideologies are similar, it’s no surprise that I like the way he [Debendra] dresses up. I really liked the perfectly and sleekly creased and ironed pants he donned during his college days. But during our underground days, during the People’s War, he did not care about ironing his clothes. And these days his busy schedules barely allow him to get his clothes ironed.
He has secondly started gaining weight, mainly in his mid-riff area. So at times I ask him to work out and to diet. But my making such suggestions to him is worthless. Instead, he says that I should be following my own advice because I have started getting heavier myself.
Janaki Pant, wife of Raghuji Pant, PM´s political advisor* from CPN UML
When it comes to shopping and dressing-up, he [Raghuji] is the one who takes the lead.
He is into colors such as light green and grey. Usually he prefers wearing grayish-colored pants. The most integral part of his wardrobe are the jari coats (sleeve-less coats), which he dons over his shirts. For him, these coats are more about function than about fashion, though. Normally, when we get such coats stitched, we ask the tailor to include more pockets: that’s because he needs the pockets to house his accessories, like notebooks and phones. But among all apparels, I must say that shirts and pants enhance his look the most.
Nilam KC, wife of CP Mainali, General Secretary Communist Part of Nepal- Marxist Leninist (CPN ML)
He[C.P] is not that into fashionable clothes, but he is still an immaculate dresser. Whatever clothes he has, he keeps them clean and with care. So I don’t have to shop for him regularly. Sometimes he even manages to pick up clothes on the way home, and that’s quite helpful for me. I think that bhadgaunley topis and check-blue shirt and topis are the most suitable for him.
Because grey happens to be our politicians’ formal color these days, grey pants dominate his closet. The other clothes he’s got in abundance are his blue shirts. It seems as if he’s become so identified with blue shirts that even our relatives gift him blue shirts.
During our underground days, he used to put on lungis and gamchha (swathes of clothes that can be used as a towel or a shawl), which he is still fond of.
The one clothing-habit about him that I don’t like is the fact that when helping me with home chores, such as sweeping and such, he never switches to more comfortable clothes like a track-suit.
Dimple Jha, wife of Anil Jha, General Secretary of Sadbhawana Party (SP)
As far as his [Anil’s] dressing-up goes, my ideas rule. Till date, he has never complained about the clothes that I have shopped for him. I try to pick colors such as cream, light blue and grey, as they complement his look. I think white lights up his skin tone. Though his wardrobe comprises pants, shirts and kurta-pajmas, it’s the white-colored kurta-pajama that I think suit him most.
Sometimes when he is giving interviews to the media, he does so in his shirt and pants. And he’s taken much heat on that count from the people of our community. So I advise him to put on kurta-pajamas while appearing with the media.
But while I rule the fashion sphere in our house, he rules the health department. While we sit to dine together, he never forgets to remind me that rice helps to put on fat.
sumina@myrepublica.com
*(Corrected)
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