Although world leaders may have more pressing things than personal style on their minds during the G20 summit in London on April 2, what to wear in front of your international political counterparts remains, for many, a bone of contention. Do you use your clothes as an unspoken piece of diplomacy as did Gordon Brown, who matched Barack Obama blue tie for blue tie on his recent visit to Washington, or do you declare your independence with a loosening of the tie, or even a cuban heel, à la Nicolas Sarkozy?

“There are rules, and much of the proceedings are formal and very conservative,” says Roberto Girombelli of Italian tailor Duca Sartoria, which has ateliers in Milan, New York and Moscow. “Generally, I’d expect Americans to dress for comfort, Russians to favour cuts that underline the body’s natural shape, with Italians placing the highest premium on style, favouring styles that smooth over physical eccentricities.”

Girombelli believes the overcoat can be one of the best ways to express personal taste within the political forum, advising “something in natural fibres – wool or mohair, as cotton will crease too easily – with a cloth weight of no more than 200g. Dark blue is better than dark grey.”

As well as the coat, Girombelli suggests that some detail in the tie is a good way of revealing your personality, such as a light-blue design on a dark-blue background:“Different colours would be too much of a contrast,” he says.

The summit’s black-tie occasions are the ones that will offer the least scope for personal statements of style, Girombelli adds. “The tie must be black but could possibly include a jacquard design.”

Michael Booth, chairman of the shirtmakers Hilditch & Key, the long-time supplier of shirts to France’s president Nicolas Sarkozy, agrees with Girombelli that the “global uniform” of dark suits plus blue or white shirts that politicians favour is hard to personalise. Booth suggests those attending G20 opt for a brightly coloured tie to convey an upbeat approach. “A yellow tie can lift those around you as well as onlookers,” he says. “Indeed, I tend to think this way myself. During difficult times such as these, we do need brightening up.”

According to Booth, Sarkozy favours the same plain blue shirt with a dark blue tie for appearances both at home and abroad. “On camera, the tie can look almost black,” he warns, sensing that not even bankers want to dress in these traditional banking styles nowadays. “A red tie is no longer the colour favoured by the financial world. Of course, in politics your choice can have ideological implications,” he adds.

Timothy Everest, a London bespoke tailor who dresses Tom Cruise and David Cameron, has been asked to supply ties as commemorative gifts for those attending G20 in London, which may inspire Sarkozy to deviate from his traditional taste. Everest believes that of all the nations, the Japanese delegates set the sartorial standards, at least in terms of the official photographs. “The Japanese have always managed to look great in the V-zone of neck, shoulders and chest. They pay greater attention to the knot and understand that if you have a big head and face then you don’t want to have strong lapels or small shoulders. Another style they favour is a higher jacket lapel notch.”

Everest also believes that the Japanese have a good sense of casual style. Thanks to the success of the Japanese government’s “cool biz” campaign of 2005, which advocated tie-less meetings on the basis that air conditioning damaged the environment, Japan’s G20 delegates may be more inclined to loosen the standards, and let their ties, if not their hair, down just a touch.

And what about the style of the man we all have on the tip of our tongue? “Obama remains a natural athlete on whom clothes hang well,” says Everest. As for Gordon Brown, for whom he has made suits, Everest retains faith in the prime minister’s power to lift the mood with some seasonal suit lining. A flash of sky blue on the inside of his jacket and those watching might take the hint: here is a leader who sees clear skies ahead.

www.ducasartoria.com
www.hilditchandkey.co.uk
www.timothyeverest.co.uk

Colin Cameron’s book ‘You Bet: The Betfair Story’, published by HarperCollins this month