ormer Pakistani Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto’s statue was relocated from Madame Tussauds in London to Dubai. While the unveiling of her likeness at Madame Tussauds in Dubai drew massive attention and media coverage, designer Maheen Khan, shared a sweet memory of how Bhutto’s iconic look was born.

“It was sometime in November 1988 that I got a call from Benazir Bhutto,” shared Maheen Khan on her Instagram.

“She had just had Bilawal and she had won the elections! She was to be Pakistan’s first woman Prime Minister. I immediately rushed to Bilawal House. She needed something green to wear to her swearing-in ceremony. I convinced her to wear a white dupatta, which I got her.

I decided immediately that chiffon wouldn’t do so I got her a soft muslin which would drape well.”

Khan’s contribution to Bhutto’s big day was archived in the best way possible.

“Years later,” Khan wrote, “she rang to say she had given the outfit to Madame Tussauds. ‘The Maheen label is still on it,’ she said.”

Bhutto’s official look has since become instantly recognizable. While Pakistan’s Iron Lady may not have always steered in the right direction in terms of more formal wear, she certainly nailed her ‘at-work’ outfit.

The tailored blazers, twinned with her kameez and shalwar, and always finished with the dupatta on her coiffured hair and tucked into the blazer ensured she looked modest for the Pakistani audience, and still sported straight, clean lines that indicated she meant business.

In this issue of Instep, as we explore the politics of fashion, Benazir Bhutto’s swearing-in outfit reminds us that clothes may not make the man, or woman, but they can often do the talking on their behalf.