Back to work: Amal Clooney wears a scarlet power suit to the UN
Was there ever a more outstanding look than a scarlet power suit? Amal Clooney made sure that she was visible, nay, impossible to ignore, as she returned to work yesterday, almost four months after giving birth to twins Ella and Alexander, her first children with husband George Clooney.
Arriving at the United Nations in New York, the human rights lawyer attended a Security Council meeting where she proposed (and was granted) an investigation into the Islamic State group and the crimes they had committed against the Yazidi people. Clooney has been representing Nadia Murad (a Yazidi human rights activist who was captured and tortured by IS) for over a year now, so this moment was a pivotal one in her case and her career.
As such, Clooney made sure that she dressed the part in a skirt suit by Bottega Veneta, accessorising with a Michael Kors work bag and Manolo Blahnik heels. As back-to-work, post-maternity leave looks go, it was perfectly on-point.
Clooney often reaches for her boldest suits when she has a key speech to make or a big case to win - last year she wore vivid red, orange and blue Max Mara suits for a series of meetings on behalf of Murad, and she has previously turned to tailored sheath dresses by Gucci and Michael Kors on occasions when she needs to cut a professional, sharp figure on the podium.
“The UN has become a strangely important barometer for the current state of power dressing,” The Telegraph’s Bethan Holt reported earlier this week, noting that Theresa May, Malala Yousafzai and more have been out to make sartorial statements alongside their political ones. The strongest takeaway from the week so far is that many seem to believe choosing a popping ‘power hue’ may help their work efforts to pack a greater punch.
Like Clooney, Queen Maxima of The Netherlands also opted for top-to-toe red, accessorising her trouser suit with suede heels and a handbag in the same shade as she met with the UN’s Secretary General, while Queen Rania of Jordan looked striking in pure white as she made a speech highlighting the progress that has been made to help prevent poverty around the world.
The shoutiest of them all, though, has to have been Melania Trump. In a fuchsia puff-sleeve dress by Spanish label Delpozo, she gave her first ever address to a UN luncheon, encouraging world leaders to think about their children when planning for the future.
It was an important moment for Trump in her relatively new role, as the UN is a platform where many First Ladies before her have advanced their ideas and policy agendas, establishing themselves as leaders of change.
So returning to our opening query, perhaps we have a new answer; Yes, a dress akin to a pink highlighter pen will make one stand out even more than a scarlet suit. But perhaps Trump needed to throw an even brighter spotlight on her new cause than the established Clooney did, hence why she reached for the neons.
Amal Clooneys most stylish looks
