Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern cut a fashionable figure during her meeting at Downing Street with British counterpart Boris Johnson on Friday (local time), channelling the much-adored style of Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton.
As reported by the New Zealand Herald, Ardern donned an Emilia Wickstead calf-length cream dress with a high, crisp collar. She teamed the classic and conservative garment with nude heels and minimal jewellery, styling her hair in loose waves.
The look was almost identical to an ensemble worn by Middleton, 40, during a royal tour of India and Bhutan in 2016. The duchess had donned a dress very similar in design while appearing at a UK government GREAT campaign event in Mumbai, pairing it with neutral heels and her signature blow-wave. The only visible difference between the two is the collar: Middleton's was round, while the updated design worn by Ardern is pointed.
The dress, in baby pink, is currently available on Emilia Wickstead's website for £1550 (NZ$3020). Known as the Alice Dress, the garment is described as a "classic short sleeved dress" made of double crepe, fitted through the bodice with a flared skirt. Meanwhile, the traditional collar and breast pocket details add an element of nostalgia that is still "modern and elegant".
Wickstead is a New Zealand-born fashion designer currently based in London. In 2014 she was awarded the Red Carpet Designer of the Year Award at the Elle Style Awards, with her clients including English businesswoman Samantha Cameron, as well as the Duchess of Cambridge.
Ardern, 41, also appeared on ITV's Lorraine that morning to discuss politics, motherhood and the return of travel post-pandemic, urging Britons to pay a visit to Aotearoa now people can enter the country without the need to quarantine on arrival.
"We're actually already open, anyone in the UK you can travel now. I'll put a plug in, your winter is our summer so make those plans," she said.
Ardern previously paid a visit to Brussels, the capital of Belgium, to speak to the European Union Commission's president Ursula von der Leyen after the EU and New Zealand agreed on a free trade deal.
Over the weekend, a clip of Ardern engaging in an energetic handshake with Johnson outside his Downing St residence went viral on social media, with people dubbing the greeting "the most violent handshake" of all time.
As Johnson welcomed Ardern for the official photocall on Friday, he appeared to pull her arm towards him as he vigorously shook her hand, with the handshake lasting for roughly five - rather painful - seconds. The symbolic greeting was quickly turned into a meme-orable moment by the internet as viewers jokingly wondered whether Johnson had broken Ardern's arm in the process.
During their meeting, the Prime Ministers agreed to new joint schemes to ensure New Zealand and the United Kingdom address global challenges for the next generation. This included an extension to the Youth Mobility Scheme, which will increase the age limit for and length of visas, attracting and allowing highly skilled and ambitious young people to move between the two countries easily.
New Zealanders will now be able to apply for a working visa in the United Kingdom up until the age of 35 and it will last for three years, as opposed to two. The changes are slated to be implemented in 2024.
