Everything about David Miliband's choice of exit outfit yesterday, worn on the steps of his London home, underlined his departure from frontline politics. The printed shirt, from British designer Paul Smith's casual Jeans diffusion range, had an air of I-am-going-on-holiday about it. The styling, worn casually open at the neck and untucked, over a pair of classic dark jeans was, sartorially speaking, the epitome of relaxed male chic. It's a dressed-down look that men in politics rarely get right. Recently, Miliband D had carried himself as the archetypal neat modern politician, think Obama – tidy hair with a fleck of silver and a slick well-fitted suit. And, he always boasted the perfectly knotted tie.
It was a far cry from the geeky glasses and garish ties he sported during his early Blair years when he was dubbed "Brains" after the nerdish Thunderbirds puppet. While his supporters hope he will return to the party in the future, fashion observers will note that he famously let photographers snap him holding a banana – a now somewhat ahead of the curve motif, which appeared on Prada's spring/summer 2011 catwalk last week.