A luxury cloak personally designed for Margaret Thatcher. (Ewbank's Auctioneers via SWNS)
By Jonathan Coles
A luxury cloak that helped Margaret Thatcher transform her image at high-profile events could fetch more than $1,340 at auction.
The full-length black velvet, satin-lined and edged garment was designed by Margaret King, who is credited with turning the Iron Lady into a power dresser.
The cloak, which has a ruffle collar, was created in the late 1980s and is now being sold by Ewbank's Auctioneers, based in Guildford, Surrey.
It is expected to sell for between $1,075 and $1,610.
The auction house said King, a director at Aquascutum, the fashion label to the rich and famous, was personal stylist to Thatcher and John Major during their premierships.
(Ewbank's Auctioneers via SWNS)
Following the former's death in 2013, the Daily Telegraph's Fashion Editor Hilary Alexander published a feature analyzing the former prime minister as 'a global style icon' and crediting King with masterminding the makeover from Marks and Spencer mass market appeal "in favour of a bespoke wardrobe, more befitting her status on the world stage and specifically tailored to the demands of a schedule of international appointments".
King later explained how she took account of political events and international relations to prepare the Thatcher wardrobe for overseas visits.
In reference to the cloak in Ewbank's auction, King explained that for really grand functions, such as the Lord Mayor's Banquet at the Guildhall, "my imagination flew away with me".
Ewbank's specialist Susan Orringe said: "Here we have three unique figures: Mrs Thatcher herself, Margaret King, who supported the Prime Minister's diplomatic and political strategy with an ingenious approach to design, and Hilary Alexander, the doyenne of fashion writers, acknowledging the genius and the debt the PM owed to Margaret King.
"Best of all, we have Margaret King explaining why she designed the cloak and why she designed it in the way that she did. You couldn't ask for more."
Two pairs of cufflinks by jeweler Patrick Mavros – the nephew of Margaret King – also appear in this auction.
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