At first sight his dress sense is as conservative and traditional as his theology. He frequently wears the short, dark-red cape and heavy red-and-gold stole that have always been part of the official papal wardrobe but which his predecessor avoided, apparently because they made him too hot. They are the papal choice even on a blazing hot day in June.

After his election in April, Benedict displayed a high-minded indifference to clothes, walking about in vestments six inches too short, leaving his red leather moccasins and white socks in full view. And, as he raised his hands to salute the faithful in St Peter’s Square for the first time, his loose sleeves fell away to reveal what appeared to be an old-fashioned black wool vest. But there are also signs that the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger may prove more progressive in office than his record would suggest.

There was, for example, his appearance in pricey Serengeti sunglasses as he rode across Rome in a limousine last month to visit the Italian President. The American eyewear — the preferred brand of the Hollywood film star Val Kilmer — cost at least £200. And the 78-year-old Pope’s normal reading glasses have been identified as Cartier’s demilune Santos model , which is also far from commonplace.

Other sharp accessories include a stylish but simple wristwatch, with black hands, a black face and a black strap. So far no one has identified the make or the model but it has been described as “retro”. Occasionally, the Pope wears swish black and gold cufflinks.

“Ratzinger’s like that,” Vittorio Zincone, a commentator with Corriere della Sera, said. “He’ll slip up with a black sleeve and then come back a few weeks later with the best starched shirt cuffs in the history of Christianity, held together with perfect cufflinks.”

Benedict boasts one other smart and stylish accessory — his much-admired private secretary, Don Georg Gaenswein. Don Georg skis, plays tennis and has a pilot’s licence. His filmstar face appeared on the cover of a weekly on Thursday.

Housewives say that he looks like the star of a 1980s TV serial about a gorgeous-looking priest tempted away from his vows. Even the President’s wife, Franca Ciampi, was excited when she met him a few weeks ago. “He’s very, very young. And he speaks excellent Italian,” she said to the Pope. “What’s his name?”

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