Not that it matters, of course – we are British, after all – but over the past eight months a subtle transformation has been working its way through the wardrobes of certain of our political wives. First we had Sarah Brown looking lovely, albeit in a low-key, not exactly high-fashion, way, at the Labour conference. Now we have Samantha Cameron, or Sam Cam as she is inevitably becoming known, looking positively foxy and most definitely high fashion at the Tory one.

Sarah Brown went for the safe option: Jaeger, currently her label of choice, is a 125-year-old British institution currently undergoing its own reformation of sorts. Get it?

Samantha Cameron on the other hand is not only wearing a dress by an American – Phillip Lim – but one that loudly declares itself to be This Season. And look at those sexy clashing shoes. L.K. Bennett, the upmarket but not ludicrously expensive chain, we presume? Not since the late Barbara Castle has anyone within a million miles of the political orbit looked this stylish. What is this? A fashion show?

Very possibly it is. It won’t have escaped the attention of either of these savvy operators that the political style ante has been upped. It’s not enough to have a brilliant mind. A working knowledge of Louboutins shows that one is in touch with popular culture, just as letting it be known that you have seen a film that wasn’t a political one is meant to prove you’re a Normal Person. Even leaving aside the supermodel who lives in the Élysée Palace, there are some pretty snappy dressers on the world stage, from Condoleezza Rice to Sarkozy’s entire female Cabinet. Cindy McCain clearly mainlines Ralph Lauren and, painful as it is to find anything positive to say about Sarah Palin, she’s no slouch on the clothes front.

It seems that in these turbulent times, a decorative wife is every bit as important as a strong economic policy. A year ago Samantha Cameron went to some lengths to play down her love of fashion and her role as design director of a luxury accessories brand. This outfit suggests a growing confidence in being herself. Or she may simply have decided that if we’re all going to hell in a handcart, at least we might as well look chic.

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