It's her power dress! Theresa May recycles a £600 aubergine Escada frock - and teams it with matching £165 heels - to deliver her keynote speech as PM at the Tory Party conference

  • PM wore glamorous Escada dress on fourth day of Tory Party conference
  • May, 60, gave keynote speech in close-fitting £600 purple pencil frock 
  • Finished look with a sturdy pair of Russell and Bromley patent court shoes
  • Previously wore the Escada dress on the election campaign in the summer 

Theresa May's political career is enjoying a purple patch, so it was perhaps apt that she delivered her first Conservative Party Conference keynote speech as PM in a dress the colour of aubergine.

The recently-elected Prime Minister looked on jubilant form as she took to the stage in the close-fitting frock and glamorous bowed court shoes.

May, who turned 60 last week, looked relaxed and confident as she arrived at the Birmingham conference centre in the stylish £600 Escada pencil dress with flattering three-quarter length sleeves and an asymmetric neckline.

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An old favourite with some fresh heels! Theresa May, who celebrated her 60th birthday earlier this week, looked calm and composed in a £600 purple pencil dress by Escada and £165 patent courts by Russell and Bromley as she prepared to address the Tory Party Conference in Birmingham today

An old favourite with some fresh heels! Theresa May, who celebrated her 60th birthday earlier this week, looked calm and composed in a £600 purple pencil dress by Escada and £165 patent courts by Russell and Bromley as she prepared to address the Tory Party Conference in Birmingham today

A touch panto? The current great dame of politics opted for patent Russell and Bromley court shoes, which retail at £165 a pair

A touch panto? The current great dame of politics opted for patent Russell and Bromley court shoes, which retail at £165 a pair

The new PM is well known for her love of designer footwear and this pair offered a sturdy but glamorous glitter block heel

The new PM is well known for her love of designer footwear and this pair offered a sturdy but glamorous glitter block heel

Let's do this! Theresa May strides forth in a dress that she wore during the election race in July with husband Philip May smiling by her side

Let's do this! Theresa May strides forth in a dress that she wore during the election race in July with husband Philip May smiling by her side

She loves an asymmetric neckline! The PM is a fan of clean lines and this Escada frock does the job perfectly, adding a hint of glamour with a silver bar

She loves an asymmetric neckline! The PM is a fan of clean lines and this Escada frock does the job perfectly, adding a hint of glamour with a silver bar

And the shoes? May's footwear always attracts a media frenzy and this crucial speech in her career saw her wear a pair of £165 Russell & Bromley patent court shoes, a perfect match for her dress.

With a glittery block heel and velour aubergine bow, there was a nod to fashion while ensuring she wasn't going to be undone by a killer stiletto with the eyes of the world's media on her.  

The PM took to the podium on the fourth day of the Conservative Party Conference to deliver her much-anticipated keynote speech and looked entirely comfortable on stage.

Mrs May said the speech would set out her own personal vision of Britain.

The Premier went on: 'Today I want to answer that question very directly. I want to set out my vision for Britain after Brexit.

'I want to lay out my approach, the things I believe, I want to explain what a country that works for everyone means.'  

The trademark distinctive shoes caught the eye of photographers as Mrs May arrived at the venue in Birmingham today

The trademark distinctive shoes caught the eye of photographers as Mrs May arrived at the venue in Birmingham today

I'm here! May looked jubilant to be on stage in the premier position as she offered an open-armed welcome to the Conservative audience

I'm here! May looked jubilant to be on stage in the premier position as she offered an open-armed welcome to the Conservative audience

The Escada dress has been showcased before, worn back in July when it was announced that May had topped the ballot in the election race
Now in prime position, the dress looked just as good, if not a slightly different shade, under the conference hall lights

The Escada dress has been showcased before, worn back in July when it was announced that May had topped the ballot in the election race. Now in prime position, the dress looked just as good, if not a slightly different shade, under the conference hall lights

Confidence: May's keynote speech received a rapturous reception in Birmingham this morning

Confidence: May's keynote speech received a rapturous reception in Birmingham this morning

But she issued a warning about ‘division and unfairness all around’, repeating her mantra that a ‘change is going to and this party is going to deliver it’.

The PM slammed the gap between the ‘rich, the successful and the powerful’ and everyone else.

Mrs May said: ‘Don’t get me wrong: We applaud success, we want people to get on, but we also value something else. 

If ever Mrs May needed a sartorial confidence boost then she received it earlier this morning when Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman suggested that the PM was a 'fantastic role model for younger generations' with her fashion choices.

A more austere choice: At last year's conference, when  May was Home Secretary, she wore a very similar dress in navy, although this Roland Mouret number was considerably more expensive at £1,365

A more austere choice: At last year's conference, when May was Home Secretary, she wore a very similar dress in navy, although this Roland Mouret number was considerably more expensive at £1,365

What a difference a year makes...but Theresa May clearly has a penchant for a pencil dress with a designer tag

What a difference a year makes...but Theresa May clearly has a penchant for a pencil dress with a designer tag

Speaking to Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Shulman said: 'It's so important that we show, particularly a younger generation, that you can be powerful, that you can work in industries outside that celebrity and glamour, but also be interested in your nails, your eyelashes your clothes, your hair.

Shulman added: 'Because if we don't how can we encourage our young women not to just want to be models, or singers, or reality TV stars, so women like Theresa May who is not ashamed to actually show that she enjoys her clothes, and dressing, and make-up are fantastic role models in this way.'

MAY'S TORY CONFERENCE SPEECH AT A GLANCE

ON BREXIT 

'People voted for changed and change is going to come.' Theresa May insisted her government would be about more than just Brexit, and voiced her determination to improve the lives of 'working class' people struggling to get by as she insisted the public voted for a ‘quiet revolution’.

ON HER PHILOSOPHY 

'It’s about doing something, not being someone.’ Echoing a famous phrase from Mrs Thatcher - with whom she is often compared - Mrs May said government should be about 'action'.

ON THE RULING ELITE

‘They find their patriotism distasteful, their concerns about immigration parochial, their views about crime illiberal, their attachment to their job security inconvenient’. The PM delivered an excoriating volley at a ruling class that has more in common with 'international elite' than their own fellow Britons 

ON TAX DODGERS 

'If you are a tax dodger we are coming after you:’ Mrs May sent a firm message on corporate tax avoidance, saying the behaviour of bad companies fuelled frustration.

Fighting talk: May called the Labour Party, the 'Nasty Party' during her address

Fighting talk: May called the Labour Party, the 'Nasty Party' during her address

ON BAD BUSINESS 

‘I am putting you on warning: This can’t go on any more.’ The Tory leader did not name Sir Philip Green by name but signalling an assault on bad business practice.’ 

ON FREE MARKET FAILURES 

‘I want to set our party and our country on the path towards the new centre ground of British politics.’ The PM made a land-grab for Labour voters as she called for a new approach, saying: ‘Supporting free markets, but stepping in to repair them when they aren’t working as they should.’

ON 'NASTY' LABOUR 

Labour is ‘the nasty party’. She used the phrase she famously used in her call for the Tories to modernise in a speech at the 2002 party conference. 

ON HOUNDED TROOPS 

‘We will never again in any future conflict let those activist, left-wing human rights lawyers harangue and harass the bravest of the brave, the men and women of our Armed Forces.’ Mrs May delivered a brutal swipe at law firms who have been harassing troops over alleged abuses in Iraq and Afghanistan as she reiterated Monday’s announcement.  

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