Michael Foot and his Donkey Jacket

The passing of Labour legend has led to salutations and honourable messages from politicians across the field. British politics has lost a giant. His legacy has been heavily discussed, as it should be. But it is also worth mentioing Foot as a snappy dresser, albeit a controversial one. As this article in today's Times point out.


At the Cenotaph in 1981(pictured), Foot wore casual shoes and a green coat which was dubbed a Donkey jacket. The press at the time didn't like it. The Times, at the time, said Foot looked "dressed as if he had just returned from walking his dog on Hampstead Heath in green donkey jacket, sneakers and paisley tie". In the early Nineties Foot, through his biographer, said the coat was from Jaeger and that the Queen Mother complimented him on the day. “Why, Mr Foot, what an awfully nice coat,” she said, adding that it was “a smart, sensible coat for a day like this”.