Victoria Starmer appears at London fashion week show

Victoria Starmer took part in a London fashion week show on Sunday, staged by designer Edeline Lee, marking one of her first public appearances since her husband, Keir Starmer, stepped down as prime minister.

Edeline Lee's designs are favoured by the Princess of Wales and have also been worn by singer Taylor Swift and actor-screenwriter Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Lee is a London-based Canadian British designer.

The spring/summer 2027 show was held in an unusual venue — the sports hall of Haverstock School in Chalk Farm, north London. Starmer wore a bright turquoise knitted midi dress with a high neckline, pleated detailing and sculptural short sleeves, paired with white block-heeled shoes.

An unconventional format

Rather than preparing backstage as is customary, models at Lee's show were fitted and adjusted in full view of the audience, while dancers rehearsed beside the catwalk and a drone filmed from the gymnasium's high ceiling. Starmer had her makeup done next to the catwalk, against the backdrop of a football net. Ballerinas stretched nearby, and dancers in red costumes inspired by synchronised swimming performed as part of the show.

The collection drew on the Greek myth of Sisyphus, condemned to endlessly push a boulder uphill. Lee said the theme reflected a current sense of relentlessness, comparing it to the intense, repetitive training behind a dancer's brief moment of performance.

During her husband's time as prime minister, Victoria Starmer kept a low public profile but was noted for her style, favouring British brands including ME+EM, Needle & Thread and Edeline Lee. In 2024, while her husband was still in office, she attended an Edeline Lee show at Millbank Tower wearing a borrowed blouse and trousers. That appearance came amid controversy over gifted clothing, after Keir Starmer failed to declare that some of his wife's designer outfits had been paid for by his largest personal donor, Lord Alli.