Mrs Bojo’s G7 hire power: Canny Carrie Johnson’s rented wardrobe to make a splash

There is a new First Lady in town. 

Despite, at 33, being the youngest spouse at the G7 summit next week — and surely the most recently married, having only sealed the deal with Boris at the weekend — the new Mrs Johnson’s choice of outfits delivered to No 10 yesterday shows a level of intent beyond her years and experience.

The dresses she is believed to be picking to pack in tissue for her world-stage debut in Cornwall demonstrate that Carrie fully intends to take over from the Duchess of Cambridge as the best-dressed advertisement for Team GB you are ever likely to meet.

Because Carrie hasn’t just chosen some of Kate’s most beloved labels — L.K. Bennett, Alessandra Rich, The Vampire’s Wife (Kate wore an emerald version of the metallic dress shown here). She has recently found the confidence to steal Kate’s silhouette: narrow and feminine with a high neckline, pouffy shoulders and a mid-calf-length skirt.

It could all be a tad dour were it not for the high-end labels, pricey fabrics that won’t crease and, of course, Carrie’s youth. This sort of floral, floaty fashion only really suits the young. This is luxe boho.

Etro is the Italian label beloved of ladies who lunch and is as far away from the buttoned-up, tailored two-pieces we can expect from the other First Ladies.

Being this loose and this fluid takes buckets of confidence. Not only that, many of these pieces are (like Carrie’s wedding gown) likely to be rented — if our spies are right, two collections from dress hire companies My Wardrobe HQ and Hurr Collective were delivered on Wednesday and Thursday. Also, they are so unashamedly girly.

Hell, one of the dresses is even patchwork, like something out of Little House On The Prairie, and shows how much Carrie wants to lighten the mood and have fun. 

Some might point out the absence of High Street stalwarts, but I applaud Carrie’s refusal, knowing the eyes of the world will be upon her.

There are a couple of questionable choices: I’m not keen on the animal print. But everything else is vibrant and fresh. Carrie has always favoured colourful printed tea-dresses over trousers and skirt-suits: they put people at ease and belie the steel beneath. For Carrie has a job to do here, and an important one.

While her husband (I wonder if she has got used to calling him that yet?) focuses on the main G7 talks, it will be Carrie’s job to forge personal bonds with the leaders’ spouses. She will host a series of events to keep them entertained and occupied. 

Special attention will be paid to how well Mrs Johnson gets on with Jill Biden — another G7 novice. Boris hopes the UK’s treasured ‘special relationship’ with the U.S. will help him secure a post-Brexit trade deal with Mr Biden soon.

I’d venture that Carrie didn’t even call on a stylist to put this little lot together, so clear is she about the image she wants to put across and her job in hand.

A printed dress is so easy to sling on that your brain is freed up for more important things. Only the Dolce is sleeveless, which means she will even be able to wave without fear of a less-than-flattering photo. Just like the princess she so clearly is.

Here, we reveal how Carrie might look in outfits available and show the retail and hire prices . . .