President drops sartorial bombshell with Brown's gift

If ever proof were needed that fashion speaks volumes it came in the form of George Bush's gift to Gordon Brown, as leaked to the press earlier this week. It's small wonder that the powers that be at Downing Street were unamused when this entirely unsuitable gesture came to public attention. The mere acceptance of such a multi-layered faux pas will no doubt make the British Prime Minister blush for years to come.

Would Mr Brown ever, in his wildest dreams, wear such a thing? He has guilty secrets, presumably, but it is hard to imagine one of those to be strutting his stuff in an all-American leather bomber jacket. The offering went quite some way towards revealing the glaring cultural discrepancies between Bush and Brown – and indeed Brown and Blair – as did the image of the two men throughout their Camp David meeting.

When Blair first met Bush there, the casual nature of both men's clothing raised eyebrows. Blair's tight trousers and casual black sweater confirmed his status as possibly the world's most embarrassing dad. Bush's casual attire was the most crass display of bogus democracy the world has witnessed to date. The message rang loud and clear: there was no way these two men of the people could conceivably be war-mongering egomaniacs.

Fast forward to this week's meeting and, where matters sartorial are concerned, it's all rather more formal. In his good – but never ostentatiously sharp – suit, white shirt, uninteresting tie and black Oxfords, Gordon Brown comes across exactly the way that an American audience might imagine a European politician would. Bush may not be quite such an accomplished dresser – his shoes look like Cornish pasties – but he is clearly making an effort to dress for the occasion. Far from being "shoulder to shoulder", Brown and Bush are maintaining a respectful distance as reflected in the conservative attire of both.

However, the American President had to ruin it all with the aforementioned bomber jacket blunder. The fact that the garment is tagged "Rt Hon Gordon Brown" only adds to the ignominy, although it might come in handy should the Prime Minister ever forget who he is.