tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23413372771903156592024-02-18T17:56:14.251-08:00Dress in the PressDress in the Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068003220931127896noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341337277190315659.post-81035364985042611242011-11-01T03:13:00.000-07:002011-11-01T03:13:13.585-07:00One of these things is not like the other...<span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj2hMN_5Z1GwuHgxCaV0G0ivYEk_GtfInMW7KslPwLBw8InNTCeVKLIo50aUGq3PX5KUqcHFTvIBRgoqre9VkPIjrNV1RDXBi63NgVESPmUfQB6rW1myaulKzYZ4TGaXsWkzTR5PjCBTs/s1600/CHOGM+spouses+afp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><img border="0" height="287px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj2hMN_5Z1GwuHgxCaV0G0ivYEk_GtfInMW7KslPwLBw8InNTCeVKLIo50aUGq3PX5KUqcHFTvIBRgoqre9VkPIjrNV1RDXBi63NgVESPmUfQB6rW1myaulKzYZ4TGaXsWkzTR5PjCBTs/s400/CHOGM+spouses+afp.jpg" width="400px" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo: AFP</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcXIk4Qg5BeO6Gx26O36_UcBcVb42bC2BjCZRe4OwiwBAoSL_PXQ1gsjHcrFmGOJ3Zsh0JPiU_djGeiUh8-pQtL6EdAjlVQ_OILNDiqGCiplRJ9ViPVpLQRvhVANJFK7oTj5cv1hfuyng/s1600/CHOGM+afp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><img border="0" height="288px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcXIk4Qg5BeO6Gx26O36_UcBcVb42bC2BjCZRe4OwiwBAoSL_PXQ1gsjHcrFmGOJ3Zsh0JPiU_djGeiUh8-pQtL6EdAjlVQ_OILNDiqGCiplRJ9ViPVpLQRvhVANJFK7oTj5cv1hfuyng/s400/CHOGM+afp.jpg" width="400px" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo: AFP</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span>These two pictures of the spouses of the CHOGM leaders (top) and the leaders themselves (bottom) are from The Age last Saturday. A remarkably graphic visual representation of the gender imbalance in world politics (or indeed, leadership...full stop), they illustrate something else.<br />
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As a group, and compared to the spouses, don't the leaders look dull, unimaginative and the epitome of conformity? Amid the exotic background of the other spouses, our First Bloke,Tim Mathieson is positively beaming. I'd say the top group had a lot more fun in Perth than the bottom one!Dress in the Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068003220931127896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341337277190315659.post-42758447681888671062011-10-24T04:16:00.000-07:002011-10-24T04:31:40.706-07:00Curtsy controversy or hatless brouhaha?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7N6PvDi6dCpJS3Lj04WHK-hZVbZnfWswFlgU0c-OiPp-M3gs9kWjoak-ceg3qSkQmNzBYvAoZQ0FB70PAxHg8ZJDgfTYBCbxvWXmt8MkPjaj4wN2qjz_WaxojhMiw2YHH4UHBt6bpEdI/s1600/JG-the-queen-arrives.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400px" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7N6PvDi6dCpJS3Lj04WHK-hZVbZnfWswFlgU0c-OiPp-M3gs9kWjoak-ceg3qSkQmNzBYvAoZQ0FB70PAxHg8ZJDgfTYBCbxvWXmt8MkPjaj4wN2qjz_WaxojhMiw2YHH4UHBt6bpEdI/s400/JG-the-queen-arrives.jpg" width="297px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Alex Coppel</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Try as one might, it is hard to ignore the royal visit in progress here in <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Australia</place></country-region>. Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip flew into <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Canberra</place></city> last Wednesday night, to be greeted by our Prime Minister, Julia Gillard and our Governor-General, Quentin Bryce. The sight of this triumvirate of our nation’s government –for the first time in our history entirely feminine in form – was one to warm the cockles of any feminist’s heart. The picture was not to everyone’s liking, however. The hatless Prime Minister Gillard managed to raise the ire of several unnamed monarchists (and the odd morning TV host and radio shock jock) who interpreted her bare head as a sign of disrespect to her head of state. The controversy was soon overtaken by the perceived bigger shame of her (perfectly in line with stated protocol) choice of a nod and a handshake over a curtsy. </div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">And what did this trio of women of power wear for the memorable moment? The G-G wore a ladylike skirt suit with a peplum jacket and a hat covered in fabric rosettes; all in vibrant Barbie pink. Her Majesty wore a pale aqua coat-and-dress ensemble with matching hat adorned tastefully with feather and flowers. The PM retained her individual preference for a bold, statement jacket - this time in broad horizontal stripes of navy and black- teamed with a conservative black skirt. Was it telling that the Age described the three as “a symphony in pink”, wearing “quieter aqua” and in a “sensible navy suit” respectively? Or is just me that reads a tone of disapproval for Ms Gillard’s outfit in that comparison?</div></div>Dress in the Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068003220931127896noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341337277190315659.post-52375363165183303052011-10-08T04:28:00.000-07:002011-10-23T04:42:24.855-07:00Cheryl Kernot: the "Scarlet Woman"<div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Cheryl Kernot was the leader of the Australian Democrats (1993 – 1997) and Federal MP for the Australian Labor Party (1998 - 2001).</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVvN5HJyMWE71Crn7mQOD2CzoFEmcNNPSNHY7ui-KVBB_1vH8ItLUcuvfxYiOTSJMoiLLvsZW8T9VaHzQv8fokko63s7J6EyowZyU31o2yXyi_-PLD0GKJ38844a5YojcN1HnjkWN3Mg/s1600/cheryl+kernot.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVvN5HJyMWE71Crn7mQOD2CzoFEmcNNPSNHY7ui-KVBB_1vH8ItLUcuvfxYiOTSJMoiLLvsZW8T9VaHzQv8fokko63s7J6EyowZyU31o2yXyi_-PLD0GKJ38844a5YojcN1HnjkWN3Mg/s200/cheryl+kernot.jpg" width="163px" /></a>Cheryl Kernot had a bit of a dream run in her early political career, as far as her treatment by the press goes. Unlike Joan Kirner, she was portrayed in a flattering yet serious light and her political clout was not questioned – perhaps in recognition of her role as leader of the minority party holding the balance of power.<br />
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Things changed on her defection to the Labor Party and as details of an affair with a former pupil came to light. In 1998, in an attempt to reverse her slipping popularity, she posed for the Australian Women’s Weekly. The photo at right of her wearing a long red dress with black lace bodice, a feather boa around her shoulders, proved symbolic of her personification as the “scarlet woman”.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIk8UDqf2bwMtnlDAo7_rR-5ljKLOIv2VVfDZ99gJv8QVqWZCKnRu-XxkwbewfLitXIpcgMCwldlvQ6eIN3FkWFCuBu6xdcvBEGHmxXc0w10OoUPRIEIMLPCTpYzH8ZlVzrPdFFUcGXOs/s1600/cheryl.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIk8UDqf2bwMtnlDAo7_rR-5ljKLOIv2VVfDZ99gJv8QVqWZCKnRu-XxkwbewfLitXIpcgMCwldlvQ6eIN3FkWFCuBu6xdcvBEGHmxXc0w10OoUPRIEIMLPCTpYzH8ZlVzrPdFFUcGXOs/s320/cheryl.png" width="320px" /></a></div>Once the press were able to hold up this visual evidence of Cheryl the seductress, her credibility was diminished and her political decline assured.</div>Dress in the Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068003220931127896noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341337277190315659.post-32694818128552767042011-10-06T04:26:00.000-07:002011-10-22T22:05:42.553-07:00Joan Kirner: "Miss Piggy for Premier"<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVY-XXTNqXQI2aDZlTPy6Zad-RcLZNfA0omXANlYy2_6WtGelijNR4whUYjC9XPE4gN5AzuMGIi7aWmWsoSreRnW_veR0NpHLiXGhx0CiHYZ-p2GSMKkfSKFu_8Y8KXStdDGmQC7EzdUI/s1600/joan+kirner.gif" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVY-XXTNqXQI2aDZlTPy6Zad-RcLZNfA0omXANlYy2_6WtGelijNR4whUYjC9XPE4gN5AzuMGIi7aWmWsoSreRnW_veR0NpHLiXGhx0CiHYZ-p2GSMKkfSKFu_8Y8KXStdDGmQC7EzdUI/s400/joan+kirner.gif" width="400px" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Joan Kirner was the first female Premier of Victoria (1990)</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">When Joan Kirner became Premier of Victoria in 1990 constant references were made made to her weight and appearance; she was depicted as matronly and frumpy.<br />
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The Australian, August 10, 1990 called her “schoolmarmish” and the day before that The Truth had the headline “Miss Piggy for Premier”.<br />
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Memorably, she would often be drawn in cartoons wearing a polka dot dress, as in the Jeff Hook cartoon above from the Sun Herald. She was so strongly identified with this image, comedian Magda Szubanski included the frock in her impersonation. Which was odd, given she never owned a polka dot dress, much less wore one in public.<br />
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Joan Kirner and the polka dot dress have gone on to be a symbol of the low point in the sexism of the Australian press and the subject of much feminist study. An <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/the-polka-dots-dance-on-the-federal-stage-20100628-zf28.html"><span style="color: purple;">excellent article by Virginia Haussegger in The National Times</span></a> demonstrates the resonance that symbol still has today.</div>Dress in the Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068003220931127896noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341337277190315659.post-2180954154810334532011-10-04T04:24:00.000-07:002011-10-22T20:21:34.707-07:00Lady Sonia McMahon: "Absolutely Smashing"<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF-p7qaXx_EsZfU5uMYzGHp1rvb6AWjrji_X7Wo0M_C36_lRpJ-mM0wDZwtJ76jNBBY_Fe_b_o6lCWLAQpo7V7ICESfF5QKFwXBnsvK7Rrjiwz902Zdurx066n07lmfOyoFOK3-NaO0Nk/s1600/sonia+mcmahon.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF-p7qaXx_EsZfU5uMYzGHp1rvb6AWjrji_X7Wo0M_C36_lRpJ-mM0wDZwtJ76jNBBY_Fe_b_o6lCWLAQpo7V7ICESfF5QKFwXBnsvK7Rrjiwz902Zdurx066n07lmfOyoFOK3-NaO0Nk/s400/sonia+mcmahon.jpg" width="300px" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Lady Sonia McMahon was the wife of Sir William McMahon, Prime Minister (1971 to 1972).</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">In spite of a long and active life as a socialite, political wife and philanthropist, the thing most Australians remember about Sonia McMahon is the white dress she wore to lunch at the White House with the Nixons in 1971.<br />
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Split to the armpit and revealing her long elegant limbs and model figure, the dress caused quite a stir in press the world around and much was made of her daring modernity. The fashion editor of the Washington Post described it as "absolutely smashing. I think the dress is a breakthrough for fashion and a blow for women's liberation." </div>Dress in the Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068003220931127896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341337277190315659.post-39711313434125265272011-10-02T04:21:00.000-07:002011-10-22T20:22:05.059-07:00Dame Enid Lyons: "Right on the Tick"<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5AywVMfgJPtWIZQ-bdiQhv7dZ5TB8T1Bdg9ImQ_syAv-0i0FY7HXdK3AQuhJJzUBWXZD6hzYCIyitqmSXuTYS7GVJqeWQcnV1SsdTWw_A6aPYeT6-lTazQKa4JcoFBg2Qfg_AP79ABPA/s1600/Dame+Enid+Lyons.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5AywVMfgJPtWIZQ-bdiQhv7dZ5TB8T1Bdg9ImQ_syAv-0i0FY7HXdK3AQuhJJzUBWXZD6hzYCIyitqmSXuTYS7GVJqeWQcnV1SsdTWw_A6aPYeT6-lTazQKa4JcoFBg2Qfg_AP79ABPA/s400/Dame+Enid+Lyons.jpg" width="311px" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Dame Enid Lyons was the first woman elected to the Australian House of Representatives (1943) and the first woman appointed to the Federal cabinet (1949).</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">"The Dame is not only up to the minute in politics; she is right on the tick with regard to fashion. In the first photographs to hand of her as vice president of the Executive Council she is wearing with her smart lightweight suit a string of pearls, and strain of elections and all, she wears the pearls knotted in quite the latest style"<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The Bulletin, December 28, 1949</span> <br />
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The Bulletin was silent on what Robert Menzies wore to swear her in.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div>Dress in the Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068003220931127896noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341337277190315659.post-80232609340629988462011-10-01T04:18:00.000-07:002011-10-22T20:22:31.518-07:00Australian Female politicians: Fashionistas or Faux Pas?<span style="font-size: small;">Since the first woman was elected to an Australian parliament in 1921 our female politicians have attracted much comment on their attire in the press; more so than their male counterparts. In our next few posts, we're going to look at some of them through the years – what they wore and what was said. Stay tuned...</span>Dress in the Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068003220931127896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341337277190315659.post-22180999297377297092011-09-30T13:38:00.000-07:002011-10-24T00:44:29.635-07:00Michelle Obama shopping in Target!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_JJU6bhk7mt1jB0LWHexpdCcN4_VMMAvbE9ixNvOGzsO-UyKdqo6-YVmind1KyUcGJjadWnAuNQZZyeGzUpXH8FTH-pVZ2B4q8Xi-a_DaFzY42XA34EaSty8R_Wyp9uyZ6KKxtNxuUAU/s1600/michelle-obama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Michelle Obama was spotted shopping in Target today and the press went bananas. This was not a slow a slow news day, but this hit the front page of every media publication (online or print) in America and around the world. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7HazbvDlSUewIFd7J_uKN4pU22RIRQLAeRbaC3JENljud1sKafxHcPSHYgzQc5azpkAKyYcwybS7h5yPVmuGXS_-6fmHrFYDJryuFvHdAnFPAJbtuTNwYyNnZ802e34QAHpAJ0uEPfTQ/s1600/Obama+Target" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7HazbvDlSUewIFd7J_uKN4pU22RIRQLAeRbaC3JENljud1sKafxHcPSHYgzQc5azpkAKyYcwybS7h5yPVmuGXS_-6fmHrFYDJryuFvHdAnFPAJbtuTNwYyNnZ802e34QAHpAJ0uEPfTQ/s320/Obama+Target" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First lady Michelle Obama, wearing a hat and sunglasses, a Target department store in Alexandria, Va., Thursday, Sept. 29, 2011, after doing some shopping. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Why? Who cares where a politician's wife shops? We do. We all do. Michelle Obama is not just any politician's wife; she's the First Lady. And when the First Lady comes out of the White House to shop in the most common of clothes shops, it's news. Big news. <br />
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Michelle Obama is a Fashionista. The press had their doubts initially, but she's won them over. The fact that she shops at Target makes her just like everyone else: “First Ladies . . . They’re just like us!” (NBC’s “Today” show).<br />
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Or are they? Michelle Obama's excursion has raised suspicion. She's been criticised recently for her extravagant wardrobe and expensive taste in jewellery. Was her trip to Target simply a stunt?Dress in the Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068003220931127896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341337277190315659.post-35597446722634750142011-09-29T04:29:00.000-07:002011-10-24T00:10:00.737-07:00Happy Birthday Julia!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-wKrEO22NziorqQUZdWSX176lzw6hoemA3LZlUBqoauImxNjlabWdPwqUkrIDklOEKd2K6oLvl45lG_sIFDetkuLa9c3W2zskAJPPej8-bGFN6GopwsHDUyeXbqqYQikdphR1tx68kw/s1600/Julia+50th" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-wKrEO22NziorqQUZdWSX176lzw6hoemA3LZlUBqoauImxNjlabWdPwqUkrIDklOEKd2K6oLvl45lG_sIFDetkuLa9c3W2zskAJPPej8-bGFN6GopwsHDUyeXbqqYQikdphR1tx68kw/s400/Julia+50th" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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</tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Julia Gillard celebrates her 50th birthday today. What did she choose to wear on her big day?</b></span><br />
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No drab colours for the PM on this special occasion - she emerged for the cameras this morning in a bright orange jacket. We've seen the jacket before - it's not a colour you forget. <br />
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The jewellery, however, is new - a present from Tim - and, as such, got a mention in every article about the birthday. <br />
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The necklace and earrings coordinated rather nicely with Julia's hair, but not with the jacket. <br />
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The Prime Minister will soon have another birthday accessory to show off - a cavoodle puppy (another present from Tim). But we'll have to wait a couple of weeks to see it as it's still too young to leave its Mum (hopefully it won't match the jacket either).<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo: Justin McManus</span>Dress in the Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068003220931127896noreply@blogger.com0