Fashion-conscious but not fashion victim, aware of trends without trying to set them, stylish but not style-obsessed - these are the requirements defining how the President, Mrs McAleese, must dress. Even before she was elected to office in 1997, her appearance became subject to intensive scrutiny and this has not eased since. According to the President's special adviser, Eileen Gleeson, whenever Mrs McAleese appears on television, Aras an Uachtarain receives letters and telephone calls from the public passing critical judgment on what has been worn.
Should anyone actually care how she dresses? Indeed, does the President's appearance matter? The easiest way to answer these queries is to imagine what might be the response were she to make no effort whatever. Would indifference be the consensus if she wore the same handful of dowdy clothes all the time, regardless of their condition? If she allowed her hair to remain unattended, her face free of make-up? "People do take notice of her appearance," Gleeson comments. "The President is expected to try as much as possible to do her job in a stylish and sophisticated way. She doesn't have to be a fashion leader or trend maker - she can't really take chances but she ought to reflect the times."
Like her predecessor in the office, Mary Robinson, prior to standing for election Mrs McAleese had shown no special interest in fashion or clothes. Photographs from the pre-1997 period show an attractive but frequently somewhat dishevelled woman. Once she agreed to run for President, however, she was given a complete make-over which was designed to make her more appealing to the electorate. The image she adopted then has since been refined but its main characteristics are still the same. Mrs McAleese enjoys a number of natural advantages. Now aged 48, she is five foot eight inches tall and wears size 12 clothing (sometimes a 10, depending on the designer and cut). She is, therefore, both taller and slimmer than the average Irish woman. She also possesses fine luminous skin - which invariably photographs well - and a relaxed confidence about herself, reflected in the way she wears her clothes. Those clothes have to conform to certain unwritten rules. The President's wardrobe has to be smart but obviously not provocative. During her first year in office, it was dominated by trouser suits and long skirts because she felt most comfortable in these. Shorter skirt lengths can be challenging to a woman who has to sit down in front of an audience, especially if she is on a stage or raised dais. Nonetheless, the President's preference for trousers met with some criticism. In an interview with the Irish Times in late February 1998, she responded to such remarks by saying she found trouser suits to be very much the right way of dressing for today's professional woman, not only modern but also "incredibly smart".
Smartness has to be the hallmark of her style but it is easy to slip into the mode of professional woman dress defined 20 years ago by Margaret Thatcher when she became Britain's prime minister. A wardrobe of sensible matching skirts and jackets with complementary blouses has since been adopted by women politicians worldwide. It is safe but uninspired and tends to make the wearer look unnecessarily old.
Of course the President possesses some matching-skirt-and-jacket outfits. She has a clothes budget (the figure is not given to the public) and twice a year in early April and September invests in a range of garments for the season ahead. The people who assist in this process are the same who gave Mrs McAleese her original make-over. Fashion stylist Helen Cody consults with Gleeson about what will be needed, what has and has not worked during the previous six months and what items can be carried over into the next period. She then visits designers and shops, bringing a wide range of clothing to Aras an Uachtarain, where the President will usually have two sessions of trying on what has been suggested. Many of her better pieces come from Diffusion, the Clontarf clothes shop owned by Eileen Gleeson's sister, Kate Gaffney.
While initially somewhat hesitant, Mrs McAleese has grown steadily more confident about developing her own sense of style and Gleeson says "she now knows faster than Helen and I what does and doesn't work. She has taken to fashion and has a real feel for it". This confidence is shown in the President now looking after her own make-up except for major occasions and television appearances when she will call on the services of Mary Bruton, who also takes care of her hair, normally coming up to Aras an Uachtarain for this purpose three times a week at 8 a.m. At the moment, her hairstyle is subtly changing, becoming fuller at the back where it is being allowed to grow down closer to the shoulder-line.
The presidential wardrobe is divided into four categories, with daywear for public engagements taking up the largest section. These clothes need to be structured and uncluttered, preferably in strong colours so that she is easily visible. Inevitably, black features here but also red, a shade which looks particularly well with Mrs McAleese's skin tones. She can wear rich greens and blues with equal success but tends not to do so very much, preferring plums and purples. While trouser suits or skirt/jacket combinations used to dominate, during the past six months the President has taken to wearing sleeveless shift dresses with matching coats, a style associated with high office since the early 1960s when Jackie Kennedy made it her own in the White House.
Mrs McAleese invariably looks her best in such clothes, which are well-tailored and simple, the dress neckline either scooped or cut square, its hemline stopping at the knee. The vertical lines of both pieces emphasise her height, whereas shorter jackets can tend to make the President seem rather broad across the hips. This is particularly apparent when she wears a skirt suit; here, jackets falling almost to mid-thigh suit her better than shorter models. With the two-piece coat-and-dress, any potential austerity is relieved by pieces of jewellery - a bold lapel brooch, perhaps, or a fine filigree necklace with coloured stones by Dublin designer Vivien Walsh.
Her clothes always have to be in pristine condition, so fabric durability is important.
Creasability is a major factor; for this reason, linen cannot be worn. Every item put forward for consideration is examined to see how it will stand up to a long day containing up to five public engagements. Weight of fabric is also important. Lighter materials are preferred, since it is easier for the President to add a warm top layer than to start undressing before an audience. White is difficult for obvious reasons - it shows dirt very quickly and even when used for a shirt will pick up make-up marks fast. "That's why the dress-and-coat work so well," Gleeson explains. "There are only two pieces to put on and they usually stay fine through any day." Eveningwear, naturally, also plays a major part in the President's daily dress. When formal state dinners take place in Dublin Castle, she will often have an outfit made for the occasion; one recent instance was a shot purple silk full-length dress with matching coat from Deborah Veale. On less formal evening gatherings, she may wear a long black skirt and a beaded top, the latter often one of several bought inexpensively in the US, where such items are a major feature of every woman's wardrobe. The President also has a number of smart but informal evening outfits, such as a double-breasted white trouser suit by French designer Sonia Rykiel. In addition to day and eveningwear, she has two other clothing categories: smart casual and casual. The former again tends to depend heavily on trouser suits, suitable for travelling or, when overseas, sight-seeing. Casual clothes are for when she is at home off-duty and feature pieces from Paul Costelloe's Dressage line, Deirdre Fitzgerald knits and Cerutti jeans.
Gleeson estimates that 75 per cent of the Presidential wardrobe comes from Irish designers, with the balance a mixture of other European and American labels. One difficulty for Mrs McAleese is the Irish leaning towards a relatively dark palette in which black, brown and grey are strongest. "We try to encourage people here either to use other colours," says Gleeson, "or we'll mix in items from other non-Irish designers." Within this country, a group of names have emerged as favourites with the President, among them Deborah Veale ("she has a structured line, good suits and quick turnaround time," says Gleeson), Miriam Mone, Mary Gregory, Lyn Mar and Louise Kennedy. The last of these also regularly dressed President Mary Robinson and her designs are now worn by Cherie Blair.
There can be no doubt that Mrs McAleese's clothes are noticed. Before her election, she appeared along with the other Presidential candidates on a Late, Late Show special wearing a wine knit outfit by Lyn Mar; it subsequently sold out around the country. Her personal style has grown steadily better and simpler since she came into office. In the first months, there was a tendency to rely on scarves and wraps which looked fussy around her neck. Her clothes are more streamlined than they were and she brings real dash to all shift dress/coat ensembles. Skirts stopping on the knee also look better than anything shorter or longer and show her legs to best advantage. Mrs McAleese used to feel more at ease with longer lengths but has gradually been learning to enjoy skirts on the knee. "Now she finds she loves wearing them." In addition, she has been wearing steadily higher heels and, once more, this serves her well (although sometimes the heels themselves are a little heavier than might be wished). Shoes in this style make a woman's calves look longer and slimmer. Unlike many Irish women, Mrs McAleese has a relatively narrow back and slightly sloping shoulders. Tailored jackets with strong definition therefore look best on her. Broad or softly-tailored jackets and coats, on the other hand, tend to pull her down and have the effect of diminishing her natural height.
What are the President's own preferences? Gleeson says she understandably places comfort as a priority, wishing to feel happy with the clothes she puts on in the morning and at ease in them throughout the day. She also likes the rich strong colours that look best next to her skin and has learnt to take a greater interest in fashion than she did before. The President is unlikely ever to be a style icon; that, after all, is not her role. Nonetheless, thanks to her verve and enthusiasm, she is fast becoming one of Ireland's most stylish representatives.
