It�s bad enough having to smile for the family photo album the minute you get to your holiday destination and before your tan has had a chance to work its flattering magic.

It's bad enough having to smile for the family photo album the minute you get to your holiday destination and before your tan has had a chance to work its flattering magic. But to have to go walkabout for the TV cameras while grinning at ducks before you've even unpacked the suitcase is even tougher.

Or so it would appear, if Gordon and Sarah Brown's Suffolk sartorial get-ups, pictured this week, were anything to go by.

His beige jacket, black slacks, unbuttoned shirt and lace-ups were clearly selected as travelling gear, and the look was neither here nor there. Her tight navy shift-dress, flat shoes and pink cardigan were perhaps intended as a nod to the 1950s heyday of the great British seaside holiday, but ended up looking rather like a day at the office. Either way, it didn't seem to occur to them that their choice of holiday clothes could be so potent.

On the other hand, the Camerons on a Cornwall beach looked as though they had been preparing for the moment for months. That his washed-out polo shirt and black surfers shorts, and her on-trend black vest and vibrant floral maxi skirt had been purchased by mail order - and from fellow old Etonian Johnnie Boden, to boot - only made this suspicion grow legs. This was the antithesis of the last-minute, off-the-peg holiday purchase. The look was as rehearsed as the delivery of a party political broadcast: determinedly Middle England.

August, like July, is proving to be the wickedest month for those with the gleeful - or tedious - task of commentating on the holiday gear of our political leaders, with the spotlight firmly on the men. This strange new habit is probably down to Tony Blair's political stylist, Alastair Campbell, who must have assumed we'd find it fascinating to deconstruct the erstwhile PM's down-time clothing.

But hurrah! At least permission has been granted for the rest of us to join in and expose the sartorial shortcomings of the ordinary British male on holiday. Finally, we can pour scorn on the oversized see-through vest that fails to hide the beer belly spilling over the 7/8 length "shorts", the ubiquitous primary-coloured Crocs and the unappealing nature of the red-and-white sunburn.

Before we go on, however, we should bear in mind that this year is a bit different because "staycationing" - holidaying in the UK - is not only PC among politicos, it has also become achingly hip in celeb-land owing to its right-on lower carbon credentials. Kate Winslett, Naomi Watts, Nicole Kidman and Jamie Oliver have all been spotted holidaying at home. Thus Tony Blair's "Chianti-shire chic" look is passe. Much more pertinent is packing the kind of sensible holiday gear that will cover cold snaps, wind squalls and rain storms while remaining in suitably relaxed mode.

There is a certain irony in the fact that just as it becomes fashionable to holiday in the UK, this summer's trend is "global" - designerspeak for all things ethnic and tribal, which can mean anything from Aztec prints to Mexican fringing, dip-dyes, tropical plumage, shimmering tunics and wood or shell accessories. Colours are hot.

But Britain is not, so muted pastels are probably best. Layering is also advised, to facilitate cooling down or warming up at speed. Cardigans and cords can look good over a waterproof anorak honestly.

Unfortunately for Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond, he hasn't gone on holiday yet (unless you count Glasgow East as a vacation destination). But we can reveal that he plans to take five whole days off in the middle of this month to go golfing on mainland Scotland (Colonsay was his first choice but now he won't have time).

What Wee Eck might look like in a Pringle sweater and JJB sports slacks is anybody's guess. But, hey, bring it on!