When Michelle Obama wore one of US-based designer Jason Wu’s dresses at her husband’s inauguration she was credited with supporting local talent. Likewise, during his election campaign, her husband made a patriotic statement with a red tie, crisp white shirt and blue suit from Chicago’s Hartmax, America’s oldest suit maker.

Perhaps the Obamas were the inspiration behind David Cameron’s decision to wear a £1,185 Savile Row number on the Conservative party conference stage.

He may be the first British party leader to try and make the sartorial political but it is a tactic that has been used the world over for decades. For some leaders, their choice of outerwear can say as much about their political leanings as a party manifesto.

When Nelson Mandela was released from prison he walked out hand in hand with Winnie, his then wife, in a suit and tie. But in the years that followed he discarded them for hand-printed ‘Madiba’ shirts that were a colourful defiance of his former oppressors. The garments were made by his personal designer Yusuf Surtee and inspired countless copycats, paving the way for other South African parliamentarians to wear umbhacos, traditional skirts for men.

Other leaders use their wares to show their might to the rest of the world. Cuban leader Fidel Castro has rarely stepped out of military garb in 50 years of power, save for a television appearance in a sports top in August to deny rumours of declining health. North Korea’s Kim Jong Il, who recently anointed his son as his successor, is more often seen wasting away in collared army-coloured jackets. In both cases, the frail leaders use their military style to show they are still ready to battle the West.

For some leaders a killer outfit isn’t enough. Colonel Gaddafi's style is a way of life. At a United Nations Security Council meeting last month he attempted to accessorise his usually lavish robes with a Bedouin tent – but officials were forced to take it down, following protests over the Lockerbie bombs.

Back in Britain, the party conference outfit has always been scrutinised. At the 1994 conference, John Major was praised for his ‘fightback’ outfit: another rich, dark blue suit which he wore with a polka-dot tie. And who can forget Tony Blair’s 2001 sharp suit and red tie – accessorised with sweat patches.

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