Sam Cam on the cover of today's Sunday Times

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Can't link, because of the paywall, but if anyone else has seen the picture of Samantha Cameron on the front of today's Sunday Times..... tell me, is this fashionable? Did I miss the memo??

Sam Cams mother owns Smythsons which is why she has a job there. Nick Clegg's wife is awesome and it's a shame his wife isn't leader of the lib dems. Cherie Blair nor Tony Blair were my cup of tea but I thought the press were cruel to Cherie.

My bad. Her mother was an employee. I wish my mother could get me a job like that.

Sam Cams mother owns Smythsons - I'm pretty sure she doesn't but I may be wrong.

I am fairly sure her mother isn't the French bloke whom i think owns the Italian group......which i think owns smythsons.

I can appreciate how hard Miriam worked to get to where she got to and the fact that she's talented but only because I regard her as a contemporary. I have no idea of the creative design process but it doesn't stop me regarding Samantha as talented. nor does it make me want to denigrate her or her achievements. that would be somewhat narrow minded in my thinking.

also Smythsons was PE backed at some point before Tivoli acquired it. The PE folks aren't known for their sentimental nature. If they thought Sam Cam was a fraud who didn't design stuff they wouldn't hang about in questioning why she was being paid £500k of their money!

The shirt is a bit school uniform, but the outfit is inoffensive enough. Surely not worthy of a whole thread dedicated to how awful it is.

Nobody's style suits everyone, it's such a personal thing. Why do people not get this?

You can't please everyone, so you might as well please yourself. As the saying goes.

I honestly don't understand how women in the public eye are supposed to win here. I know we all like to talk and discuss, but why does have to be so unkind? What do people get out of that...?

I don't understand the PP who thinks Miriam Clegg's career is "proper" but not Samantha Cameron's .

They both seem equally viable to me. Though I would be much more interested in hearing about Samantha Cameron's role than Myriam Clegg's at a cocktail party!

To be honest, so would I, and I'm the one who mentioned Miriam G-D

I don't know if this is the correct impression or not, but I can't shake the feeling that becoming a top-flight lawyer takes more in the way of grit, drive, intelligence and sheer hard work than designing handbags - when you're starting from the point of coming from a very wealthy, posh family with connections to the firm you're designing for. SamCam didn't put in the hours in a garret eating beans while pursuing her vision that I'm aware of.

I know that impression can be wrong - look at Stella McCartney, from privileged celebrity kid to top designer - but I don't think SamCam's quite in her category yet.

I hate the way the media reduces all women to what they have on (saw a brilliant thread on MN the other day which pointed out most headlines on the DM involving females could be summed up as 'woman wears clothes!', and my admiration for Miriam G-D is based on her holding down a fabulous career more than her clothes (although I do have a massive style crush on her).

To be fair, though - this is the S&B thread and we're giving opinions on an outfit. Not saying she's evil because she has shit taste in shirts.

Wow this thread has really become nasty. In particular the comments above about Sarah Brown - I mean how dare she not be a size 8 or whatever

Sam Cameron, Miriam Clegg, Michelle Obama, Cherie Blair and Sarah Brown are all impressive women in different ways and I'd be chuffed if I or my daughter achieved even a fraction of what they have achieved professionally. They have all coped very well with being in the limelight because of their husbands too.

I'm going to hazard a guess that the people on here bitching about them probably have the odd fat day or fashion fail.

I know an awful lot of lawyers. Like lots of professions, they work really hard if they pursue top-flight careers but, like lots of professions, a certain innate personality type seems to enjoy a legal career. I don't think people choose between becoming a lawyer or a handbag designer. They are different roles that suit different personalities/talents. As such, I do not feel able to place a value judgement on the relative merits of either choice though I often find lawyers dull and aggressive.

tea I think design is a fairly ruthless business. I agree that some elements of life are probably a bit easier if you have the kind of background and connections that Sam Can has but what are women like her and Stella M supposed to do? Not pursue careers because someone will say they are only there because of who they know? Miriam is obviously super bright and i'm guessing had parents who valued education etc. We are all products of a complex mix of genes, upbringing, hard work and good luck.

I have a hell of a lot more respect for Stella and Sam, than I do for Callum Best, say...

At least they've done something vaguely productive with themselves.

liberty, that's more or less what I was trying to say. Victoria Beckham is another name who comes to mind as having made the jump to credible designer.

I suppose the question is whether SC is a Stella McCartney (connections helped but talent there) or a Kate Moss (draw a few bits, get people to copy stuff out of your wardrobe, get designing credit). I suspect she is more likely the former, and there are arguably fewer slots for top designers than top lawyers - but it's prob more possible to luck into being a designer if you have privilege and great connections, than to stand up in court and fake being a legal expert.

SamCam had her job at Smythson long before her dh became PM. Luxury goods are biiig business, she wouldn't be employed if she didn't contribute something substantial. She has different talents to Miriam Clegg, you can't compare them, I think they're both formidable women.

I love the Nancy bag

I'd just be interested to know where she learned her craft and how she got to Smythson. It does rather smack of connections but happy to be proved wrong and hear that she spent 20 years learning the business at XYZ small retailer, moving up step by step, as the rest of us have.

Her mother owns OKA, not Smythson, btw.

PE backers would be only too happy to have someone highly connected like her (and she was even before her husband become PM) working on the brand. They are not necessarily employing her for her design skills - it could be the cachet. In fact PE groups tend to do really well with small, niche design-based companies and rolling them out globally. It's not about the design in the end - it becomes about the brand. That's what they did with Cath Kidston which is now horrible.

Bonsoir Miriam and Cherie have incredibly demanding careers which require a high intellect and extremely hard work. Neither were 'born' to this particular success (although had Miriam remained in Spain her politician father would undoubtedly be an asset)

Samantha had a career, which although successful, is based more around connections, style etc. Unlike Anya Hindmarch, she didn't build this brand from scratch, sourcing finance, factories etc. She was the creative part of a large team. I admire her eye and her success, but I imagine connections played a huge part.

That, for me, is the distinction and why I would admire Cherie and Miriam more, they grafted in seriously tough careers.

Incidentally I am relatively senior in a creative field so don't think its a walk in the park, but equally I don't think that I have worked or pushed as hard as a top barrister.

Absolutely agree with merry.

Agree with merry and quangle.

I agree with merry too. The brains & grit required to be a partner in a law firm like Dechert is a different ball game to designing handbags.

I've never got the impression SamCam was very bright. She went to Malborough which is fairly meh intellectually, and on to the art school attached to what was then Bristol Poly.

The real design talent in that family is her mother who's CEO of OKA.
Her mother has real flair for design and good business sense. If Sam was doing that job I would be impressed.

I get the feeling that Cameron is one of those men who wanted to marry a good politician's wife and no threat. Even Osborne, who I abhor even more than Cameron, married an Oxford contemporary.

Awful outfit. The kind of outfit bored housewives wore with their Scholls in the 80s...

Fechin horrid

The skirt is dreadful. The cut and the pattern and the colours alike - horrible. My DCs wore short sleeved blouses like that as school uniform. 'Bizarre' outfit is right, imo..

I agree with those saying her fringe does nothing for her. She should grow it out and put it up in the meantime. It just droops and elongates her face.

I honestly would never think, to look at her, that she had ever designed anything or had an artistic eye, or an eye for cut or colour or pattern.

SwedishEdith, that is a gorgeous skirt..

I love anthropology. There is a store 3 blocks from my house and I have picked up some amazing things in there. Their sales are amazing.

The PR around Samantha Cameron annoys me greatly. I am from an upper middle class background. I am working my way up the ranks and putting my time in. I also run a business with DH. I went to school with quite a few girls who are just like Samantha Cameron in that they were the first to turn their noses up at their background yet the first to shake the connections when it came to them getting a job to pay for their boheme lifestyle. David Cameron also got his job through connections.

What I don't like is that these people think this is all completly normal. It isn't and I am able to clearly see that. Also, for someone who is a creative designer whose sister is the deputy director at vogue, you would think she could figure out a better hair cut. It always looks wierd. As for her being attractive I guess she must have an awesome personality because apart from being skinny I don't see her as pretty. Miriam is very attractive in looks and personality. Nick Clegg married up!

She's obviously happy with her present hair stylist at Daniel Galvin who, as mentioned, is the sort who just keeps on giving the same old unexciting and often rather old fashioned cut. That, for me, puts a bit of a question mark over her sense of style. He's certainly not an innovator but I guess that's not what she wants.

Yes, I did express myself badly re 'proper' career. I'm sure a career in design is extremely competitive and have a lot of respect for people who earn their living using their artistic talents and working hard.

merrygoround has expressed what I mean much better:
Bonsoir Miriam and Cherie have incredibly demanding careers which require a high intellect and extremely hard work. Neither were 'born' to this particular success (although had Miriam remained in Spain her politician father would undoubtedly be an asset)

Samantha had a career, which although successful, is based more around connections, style etc. Unlike Anya Hindmarch, she didn't build this brand from scratch, sourcing finance, factories etc. She was the creative part of a large team. I admire her eye and her success, but I imagine connections played a huge part.

That, for me, is the distinction and why I would admire Cherie and Miriam more, they grafted in seriously tough careers.'

I also agree with the poster who suggested that both Samantha and David C are fairly unaware of the fact that their connections have played a huge part in their success and that their situation has been entirely different to most of the rest of the populations's.