Lady Victoria Starmer made her London Fashion Week debut on Monday at Edeline Lee’s SS25 show, joining the likes of June Sarpong, Amelia Windsor and British Fashion Council CEO Caroline Rush on the front row in a sun-drenched courtyard beneath the Millbank Tower.

Britain’s new ‘First Lady’ wore an elegant navy and white ensemble by the London-based designer for the occasion, made up of a belted, high-neck polka dot jumpsuit with a co-ordinating navy jacket, that matched the aesthetic of the show itself. Further proof, it seems, that polka dots are officially back in fashion – but why was everyone talking about the fact that Starmer’s look was borrowed?

Fashion insiders are well-versed in the behind-the-scenes of VIP dressing for the front row, that sees stars loaned or gifted outfits from the designer whose show they are attending to help further promote the brand. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, for example, arrived at Nensi Dojaka’s LFW event earlier in the week wearing a look from the Albanian-born designer’s just-dropped Calvin Klein collaboration, while Harry Styles attended his Steven Stokey-Daley’s SS25 show dressed head-to-toe in his close collaborator’s namesake label.

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Starmer’s London Fashion Week appearance, however, comes amid controversy surrounding free clothes at Number 10. It recently emerged that Labour peer Lord Alli paid for a personal shopper, designer garments and clothing alterations for Lady Starmer, that the Prime Minister failed to declare in an alleged breach of parliamentary rules.

The Prime Minister’s press office was therefore quick to confirm that Lady Starmer’s outfit for Edeline Lee’s show was indeed a loan from the designer, and that declarations would be made accordingly.

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Clementina Jackson is Acting Site Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, working across news and features, trends, e-commerce and SEO. She was previously Fashion Editor at Cosmopolitan and Women’s Health, and Acting Digital Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, where she was named as a PPA 30 Under 30 award winner for her work on size inclusivity. An experienced fashion, travel and luxury lifestyle journalist, Clementina has also written for Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Condé Nast Traveller, Tatler, Red and Italy Segreta.