When Yulia Tymoshenko turned up for a rather routine meeting one spring day in 2009,hair pulled back into a simple bun,many Ukrainians were flabbergasted. The prime minister’s legendary plait, tightsy pinned to her head like a crown for the better part of eight years, had become so entangled with her political identity that without it she looked startlingly unfiamiiiar. Tymoshenko's blonde  "wheel" had become much more than a contrived visual metaphor for Ukrainian nationalism; in a country that has seen massive change, it also stood for stability.

Tymoshenko's image was once rather different: in the 1990s, she held a post in the fuel and energy ministry, and was the dark一haired  "gas princess" who led the company that controlled most of Ukraine’s energy imports. She was reported to have become worth several billion dollars and, in a wardrobe of Louis Vuitton,she dressed the part. But then she was accused of corruption and in 2001 was sent to prison. The charges were eventually dropped, and when she was released she was considered a martyr. During the Orange Revolution of late 2004 and early 2005, Tymoshenko, by now stripped of most of her fortune, led mass protests that ultimately vshered her into power.

In the lead一up to the revolution Tymoshenko embodied a spirit of atonement,and needed an image to match.  "it was necessary to work out and implement an image that would block out the image formed by propagandists: one of wealth, of envy, hatred," said Oleh Pokalchuk, a social psychologist reputed to have been Tymoshenko's image consultant.  "I created an image of a modest village teacher a Ukrainian archetype."

Step one was the hair. Tymoshenko’s signature hairstyle exploits Ukrainian folk tradition, with connotations of innocence, patriotism and populism; the braided "wheel" also suggests a crown  (regal entitlement), a maiden's wreath (nostalgia for the noble peasantry) and a saintly halo(veneration of Orthodox Church icons).And it makes her instantly recognisable on the international stage.

Step two was a bit trickier. To counterbalance the hairdo, Tymoshenko's outfits needed to be demure yet commanding. Hence dresses or blouses with high necks, high waists and Juliet sleeves are her staple if they have the right label (Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent or Valentino). The clean lines accentuate her shapely figure, while panels of needlework and period-style brooches complement her vintage hairdo.

Tymoshenko has hinted that she's ready for a change, but her supporters may struggle to accept this. It would be paradoxical if she ended up a slave to the blonde "wheel" she had hoped would crown her a champion of liberty.