Theresa May inspired House of Cards character Claire Underwood's presidential style

As Claire Underwood takes on the role of U.S. President the powerhouse needs a wardrobe to match her fiery persona. Actress Robin Wright shaped the character in the Netflix original series. House of Cards has taken inspiration from past and current leaders to create Underwood's signature presidential style. The series' costume designer Kemal Harris upped Underwood's style for the sixth and final season.

Interestingly Harris had to look elsewhere for inspiration as there has never been a female President of the United States to base Underwood's style on. “Instead I looked at all of our past Presidents, as well as other female world leaders and Prime Ministers,” she explains.

British Prime Minister Theresa May was one of many muses for the show's female president. Harris revealed it was a pop of personality that added May to the mood board, in particular her kitten heels. "I did love Theresa’s signature leopard print heels", the costume designer admitted. Watching the series closely you will notice Claire is always seen in Louboutin red sole heels, a nod to the Prime Minister.

Theresa May is not the only leader to provide inspiration. German Prime Minister Angela Merkel and even American President Donald Trump also influence Underwood's fashion choices. Harris explained that the leaders "put their job first and they mix and match their basic interchangeable suiting. The challenge for me was to get that right in a Claire aesthetic - in past seasons her style was sharp and glossy.”

In previous seasons Harris would work with designers, taking outfits straight from the runway. However in this season that wasn't entirely possible. Harris explained her choice to costum make 80% of Claire Underwood's looks in the final season as opposed to using pieces created by designers like Armani and Dolce and Gabbana.

“But for this final season it wouldn’t have translated with the story. When you are a world leader you can’t be too flamboyant or too fashion-y, you need a utilitarian look that commands the respect of your peers but also gains the trust of the public," she continued. "If Claire showed up in a fabulous Ralph Lauren gown, people would think she was too flashy and not trust what she was doing with their money.”

In order to present Claire Underwood as a serious leader for the series, Harris opted for a toutilitarian and militaristic look. This led to a structured, short bob for the character, along with high collars and buttoned up pieces.

“When I was putting together my inspiration board I looked at pictures of women working in the Navy in World War II - these belted jackets and crisp uniforms, but also I noticed that their hair was in very slick sharp bobs. I showed it to Robin and we thought maybe it made sense for Claire’s look."