"How To Be A Chic World Leader"

DRESS SENSE is vital for a world leader. The important thing is that they look good, because then people feel better about them. Obviously most world leaders would invite ridicule if they were simply to copy Hamid Karzai's Afghan style.

For most Western leaders, I would recommend they go for a classic well-cut suit - you can't beat it. Suits such as the ones from Savile Row are the best for this line of work: you know that you will get the most out of them. Wearing a good suit is the epitome of respectability, elegance and beauty. The vital ingredient in looking chic when you are in a position of power is to feel good yourself.

If you are always in the public eye, and travelling a lot, it is a good idea to have a collection of shirts and ties that go together in any combination. This is the easiest solution, and you can build up a wardrobe that is simple to put together but looks chic. Choose clothes with a certain reputation: for someone in the spotlight, looking sharp is a vital aspect of image- building.

When sorting out which colours to go for, there is a great deal of freedom for the leader who wants to be chic. Brightly coloured shirts and ties are everywhere now: it's the 21st century, and so it is not unusual to depart from the traditional white. Suits are certainly the hardest to get wrong and, in this case, a safe option is to be desired.

What is less safe for a leader in the public arena is to dress casually. This is where things are much more likely to go awry, and so to be stylish requires more effort. People in high-profile positions can't always wear suits, of course, but when dressing down it's important not to look as if you have tried too hard. The difficulty is that casual dress reveals more about the individual's style, and when this is under scrutiny you have to be even more careful in making sure it looks good.

My recommendation is to keep things simple. It is good for a statesman to appear relaxed, and so the style should certainly be their own, but please, please don't go overboard. It is difficult to make rules on how to approach the casual mode, but I would say that a roll-neck jumper and jeans combined with casual footwear usually looks good. Remember, though, that it all depends on the individual leader - and the most important thing is to wear clothes that you feel comfortable in. In the end, being chic as well as powerful is determined by how at ease you feel in the spotlight.