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Otago Daily Times
26-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
'Jacinda got it right': Willis hits back at Budget Day dress critics
Finance Minister Nicola Willis (centre) on Budget Day wearing a blue dress believed to be from the British womenswear label The Fold London. Photo: RNZ Finance Minister Nicola Willis says there are "far more interesting things to talk about" than what clothes she wears. Willis delivered last week's Budget in a blue dress, believed to be the Nouvelle Sculpt Stretch Crepe Dress, from British womenswear label The Fold London, according to The New Zealand Herald. Caroline Marr, owner of Auckland-based fashion brand The Carpenter's Daughter, told the Herald that Willis' decision not to wear a Kiwi brand during the high-profile moment was a signal of "total disrespect" to the local fashion industry. "We have wonderful designers here, Jacinda [Ardern] got it right by wearing NZ-made as much as possible. Our leaders should also be doing that. Be proud of your nation and what we make here." Speaking to Morning Report on Monday, Willis dismissed the question. "Your audience are smart people. We've got far more interesting things to talk about than what clothes I wear," she said. "Let's focus on the policies. This line of questioning as far as I'm concerned belongs in the 1950s." National's Hutt South MP Chris Bishop defended Willis on social media, and shared what he was wearing to a post-Budget debate on Saturday. "There's been a lot of interest from The New Zealand Herald as to what our Minister of Finance was wearing on Budget Day, but nobody has asked me", Bishop said. "This tie, I actually got in France... this shirt is a classic New Zealand 3 Wise Men blue shirt, the suit is from Harford - down on Lambton Quay - and I'm pretty sure it's a Rembrandt suit, of course from Lower Hutt, wonderful place. This is a New Zealand Music Month badge... the socks... I think they might be a standard issue black H&M pair of socks, and the shoes... I think they're from 3 Wise Men as well." Whanganui MP Carl Bates also shared what he was wearing in a video posted to Instagram on Saturday, with the caption: "The reason I am posting this is that we have been under urgency, working hard to deliver our growth budget, but for some reason there was a focus on what the Minister of Finance was wearing."
Otago Daily Times
25-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
'Belongs in the 1950s': Willis bites back over Budget Day dress barb
Finance Minister Nicola Willis (centre) on Budget Day wearing a blue dress believed to be from the British womenswear label The Fold London. Photo: RNZ Finance Minister Nicola Willis says there are "far more interesting things to talk about" than what clothes she wears. Willis delivered last week's Budget in a blue dress, believed to be the Nouvelle Sculpt Stretch Crepe Dress, from British womenswear label The Fold London, according to The New Zealand Herald. Caroline Marr, owner of Auckland-based fashion brand The Carpenter's Daughter, told the Herald that Willis' decision not to wear a Kiwi brand during the high-profile moment was a signal of "total disrespect" to the local fashion industry. "We have wonderful designers here, Jacinda [Ardern] got it right by wearing NZ-made as much as possible. Our leaders should also be doing that. Be proud of your nation and what we make here." Speaking to Morning Report on Monday, Willis dismissed the question. "Your audience are smart people. We've got far more interesting things to talk about than what clothes I wear," she said. "Let's focus on the policies. This line of questioning as far as I'm concerned belongs in the 1950s." National's Hutt South MP Chris Bishop defended Willis on social media, and shared what he was wearing to a post-Budget debate on Saturday. "There's been a lot of interest from The New Zealand Herald as to what our Minister of Finance was wearing on Budget Day, but nobody has asked me", Bishop said. "This tie, I actually got in France... this shirt is a classic New Zealand 3 Wise Men blue shirt, the suit is from Harford - down on Lambton Quay - and I'm pretty sure it's a Rembrandt suit, of course from Lower Hutt, wonderful place. This is a New Zealand Music Month badge... the socks... I think they might be a standard issue black H&M pair of socks, and the shoes... I think they're from 3 Wise Men as well." Whanganui MP Carl Bates also shared what he was wearing in a video posted to Instagram on Saturday, with the caption: "The reason I am posting this is that we have been under urgency, working hard to deliver our growth budget, but for some reason there was a focus on what the Minister of Finance was wearing."
NZ Herald
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Budget 2025: Male National MPs conduct outfit checks in support of Nicola Willis
Minister Chris Bishop, a good friend of Willis, was among the first to post a video, noting the interest in Willis' outfit and lamenting that 'nobody has asked' about his own. Speaking outside the Beehive while the House was in urgency passing legislation critical to Budget 2025, Bishop starts with his 'lovely blue tie', which he says was purchased in France. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Chris Bishop (@cjsbishop) His shirt is a 'classic' blue 3 Wise Men product, paired with a grey suit bought from Harford Menswear in Wellington but Bishop elaborates he's 'pretty sure' it's a Rembrandt. '[Rembrandt], of course, from Lower Hutt, wonderful place,' Bishop says. A quick online search finds Rembrandt began in 1946 in Wellington's Vivian Street. Mystery surrounds Bishop's socks; he guesses they're 'standard issue black' socks from H&M. His shoes, which he admits 'need a bit of a polish', are from 3 Wise Men. 'There you have it, that's what I'm wearing in post-Budget urgency,' Bishop declares with a grin. 'I know there's a huge amount of interest in what me and a bunch of the other men in the National Party are wearing.' It seems Bishop's fit check was a source of inspiration for National's Wairarapa MP Mike Butterick. Perhaps surprising for a Masterton sheep and beef farmer, Butterick took a keen interest in his colleagues' attire and interviewed several male MPs. One was fellow farmer and Northland MP Grant McCallum, who said the issue reminded him of former United States President John F. Kennedy, who once said: 'Nobody wonders what Lyndon and I wear.' It turned out McCallum's outfit also had a link to the US, the MP revealing his cow-themed tie was made in America. 'You're not a dairy cockey by any chance are you?' Butterick asks. 'I just might be,' McCallum says. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Grant McCallum (@grantmccallumnz) His suit is from Working Style. McCallum points to his New Zealand Music Month badge, noting his love of local band Split Enz. A quick-thinking Butterick moves on: 'We'll stay away from the jocks, what about the socks?' McCallum states they're from Rodd & Gunn, covered by Wellington-bought leather shoes. Whanganui MP Carl Bates is up next. Stretched out on one of Parliament's couches, Bates admits he was 'borrowing' a tie from Ōtaki MP Tim Costley. He's less sure about the origin of his suit but his enthusiasm peaks when he gets to his R.M. Williams boots, a company that sources most of its leather from a tanning business in Whanganui, Bates claims. Bates reveals he's opted for a more adventurous sock choice, pulling them up to show a green pair with the inscription, 'Ain't no bad joke like a dad joke'. 'I think my kids agree with that,' Bates says. 'Most kids disagree when they get older, Carl,' Butterick warns. Bates compliments his shirt without any detail, but confirms he did iron it. Again, Butterick stops his colleague from going further: 'Done the socks, won't worry about the jocks.' Thinking along similar lines, Bates refuses to show off his singlet but assures his social media followers that it's Merino wool. 'Oh, we like that,' Butterick says. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Carl Bates for Whanganui (@carlbateswhanganui) Ilam's Hamish Campbell is another put under Butterick's fashion spotlight. Campbell is also in a 3 Wise Men suit but admits the accompanying purple tie is 'probably a bit old'. He's also wearing a pocket handkerchief from Barkers, with boots again from 3 Wise Men. 'We'll stay away from jocks,' Butterick cautions. Campbell agrees. 'Of course, the most important thing is what's inside, not what someone's wearing,' Campbell says. Act leader David Seymour also chimed in on social media, questioning whether a male politician would face similar scrutiny to Willis before confirming his Budget day suit was 'made in NZ by someone born overseas'.
