Margaret Thatcher: her fashion legacy – in pictures

2012: A number of Margaret Thatcher's suits and dresses went to auction at Christie's. 'These outfits were worn at the beginning of her career, when she got the "milk snatcher" tag, and were part of important moments like her introduction as leader at the Conservative party conference,' said Pat Frost, head of textiles at Christie's. Thatcher may well be heavily associated with twin-set and pearls, but her style and body image underwent subtle changes over the years. Here follows a few choice examples

(Most of these dresses were bought by an anonymous bidder in South Korea. Make of that what you will)
Photograph: Frank Baron/The Guardian

1951: A 26-year-old Thatcher is almost unrecognisable at her wedding to 36-year-old Denis Thatcher at Wesley's Chapel, in London. The pair met in 1949, when Margaret Roberts was a chemist and local candidate for Dartford. Denis Thatcher was a successful local business man, older and with one marriage behind him. The crushed velvet, baroque cap and the almost sheepish grin suggest nothing of the Margaret Thatcher the world would come to know. The dress, though, offered a hint of what was to come by way of its colour: blue Photograph: PA/PA

1971: Then minister of education, Margaret Thatcher tries on a number of different hats in her home at Lamberhurst, near Tunbridge Wells. Like much of 1970s fashion, it's safe to say these hats have not dated well, and serve as a reminder that when Thatcher veered from skirt suits and blouses, her take on feminine could be quite in-your-face. As was her decision to cut free milk in primary schools, which resulted in the infamous chant 'Margaret Thatcher, milk snatcher' Photograph: Selwyn Tait/ Selwyn Tait/CORBIS SYGMA

1975: As leader of the opposition, Thatcher made her feelings about Europe clear in this natty Bay City Rollers style top. After this, she stayed away from slogan T-shirts and political jumpers. Can't think why Photograph: Associated Press

1979: A strong, straight-armed wave and handbag at her side, Margaret Thatcher enters No 10 as the country's first woman prime minister. A royal blue skirt and jacket sent as clear a signal as Denis's ram-rod posture: 'we're here to do business' Photograph: Tim Graham/ Tim Graham/Corbis

1983: It's not hard to see why some foriegn reporters announced this week that 'Queen Thatcher' had died. For a period in the 1980s, these two women were the face of Great Britian. They may have had their disagreements about politics but they shared a fondness for simple button-down coats, practical handbags and blow-drys so strong they could withstand any weather. Between them, they represent a kind of quintessential Britishness, and evoke an era when women of the state could dress as their age and class dictated without the excessive scrutiny modern politicians undergo Photograph: Rex Features/Rex Features

1987: Ah, when love goes right. Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher shared more than a special relationship, they were committed to a shared ideology, and they positively glowed in one another's presence. This is Thatcher in less formal mode – gone is orthogonal jacket with sharp shoulder pads, and in its place a gentle (if exceptionally naff) dress with soft, sloping collar Photograph: Mike Sargent/AFP/Getty Images

1987: Margaret Thatcher, on a visit to the Midlands, displays her preference for neck scarfs. She was also particularly fond of pussy-bows, perhaps the most self-contradicting item of clothing ever made. At once feminine, fussy and ornate, they are also indistinguishable from a certain kind of British battleaxe Photograph: Steve Back / Daily Mail / Rex F/Steve Back / Daily Mail / Rex F

1989: According to the man himself, the relationship between Mikhail Gorbachev and Margaret Thatcher was a respectful one, and it's testament to the former's description of her as a 'politician whose word carried great weight' that she looks so at ease and in control in this shot. The black-and-white jacket, with collar briskly turned up, seems entirely in keeping with Gorbachev's amenable, hands-by-his-sides pose Photograph: Trinity Mirror / Mirrorpix / Ala/Alamy

1989: The end of a hard decade for British fashion Photograph: Peter Jordan/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Image

1995: Soft peach: where would the home counties be without it? Once she was out of office, Thatcher seemed more comfortable and relaxed in front of the cameras. Mind you, carrying a book with your own name on it will give off a certain confidence Photograph: Gerard Fouet/AFP/Getty Images