Blair's fashion plum

To be fair, he probably had weightier issues on his mind than his wardrobe.

But, as a British leader abroad, Tony Blair has a duty to uphold some sartorial standards in keeping with the dignity of his job.

At the weekend, however, his dress sense was anything but in the premier league.

His plum ensemble, revealed to the world as he posed for photographs with Gerhard Schroeder outside the German chancellor's home in Hanover, left style gurus aghast.

Some suspected that, with his 50th birthday looming in April, Mr Blair was trying to recapture the crushed velvet, hippie style of his youth.

Others felt that he had fallen foul of a style statement dreamt up by others.

'I think the clothes themselves are very nice, but they don't look good on him,' said Roger Tredre, head of the Worth Global Style Network.

He added: 'Politicians have never carried off casual wear, except for Nelson Mandela. If they are going to dress in a more relaxed way, they should go for smart casual.'

Fashion commentator Brenda Polan added: 'I think it must have been put together by a woman - no man would think of putting three plum items together.' Harrold Tackie, a fashion adviser at Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge, said: 'On the plus side, plum is the colour for this season. But judging from the pictures the shape of the outfit leaves a lot to be desired considering he was meeting another world leader.

'But what about those black shoes? He looks like a man used to wearing sober suits attempting to turn into a hippie at the weekend.'

Downing Street yesterday refused to get involved in the sartorial debate.
'I've no idea what he's wearing,' said a spokesman. 'We just don't comment on that sort of thing.'

Whatever the origins of Mr Blair's outfit, it is sure to join a surprisingly long list of eye- catching fashion statements from the Premier during his years in power.

Here, we take a look at six of the most memorable . . .