It’s no secret that Lucy Turnbull is pretty bloody chic and Julie Bishop loves to pair a pearl earring with a handsome twin set, but what of Chloe Shorten?

Who?‘ you ask.

My point exactly. Chloe Shorten, daughter of former governor general Dame Quentin Bryce – she of Australia’s largest collection of sherbet skirt suits and immaculate brooches – is a former journalist, corporate affairs specialist, mother and wife to Bill Shorten, leader of the opposition.

More importantly, is she chic?‘ you ask, ‘and why am I reading about her on GRAZIA?

Both are valid questions for which you should be commended, and while ordinarily I’d be bereft of answers to both, today is no ordinary day.  GRAZIA has just received an exclusive tipoff from a source, the thrilling contents of which not only give both Shortens some serious chic cred, but will no doubt sate Australia’s seemingly inexhaustible appetite for inane trivia related to #auspol.

While he wasn’t learning to dab this past weekend, opposition leader Bill Shorten found time to visit the Incu City Womens store to purchase a birthday gift for his wife. According to our very reliable source, Shorten “initially asked the sales assistant if they stocked Oscar de la Renta [Ed. note: come on, Bill ?] , which his wife apparently loves, before settling on a pair of earrings.”

Shorten eventually selected a pair of Brisbane fine jeweller Natasha Schweitzer’s ‘Allegra’ earrings, which are handcrafted from solid 9K gold, and “feature two smooth points attached to a white freshwater pearl stud.” Behold.

natashaschweitzerallegraearringsgold2
Spoiler alert: happy birthday, Chloe Shorten. 
Credit: Natasha Schweitzer
Shorten also mentioned that he was going to surprise his wife with a birthday cake on their flight back to Melbourne.

To further sweeten the encounter, the sales assistant serving Shorten “didn’t know who he was, even though he had one of his staff members there, and two security guards at the door while they spoke for 10-15 minutes.

“He showed her pictures of his wife and was like ‘Do you think this would look good on her, which style should I go for,’ and was all-round very lovely and nice. She didn’t realise that he was Bill Shorten until he went to sign up for the Incu VIP program, and as she went to ask his last name he was like, ‘Have you been following the election?’ Only then did she realise.”

Another classic #ShortenSweet Zinger from the aspiring prime minister. As always, constantly refresh GRAZIA for all the #ausvotes news that’s fit to print.

Tile image: Giphy
Cover image: @natashaschweitzer