Was Lauren Sanchez’s dress too risqué to wear at the White House or is this the new posh-sexy?

As a former news presenter and journalist, Sánchez will be all too aware that she’s both perfectly entitled to wear whatever she pleases, wherever she likes and that others can have an opinion on that choice. If she is confident and comfortable, then it doesn’t necessarily matter. There’s no suggestion that she has offended anybody at the White House, either. If anything, Sánchez and Bezos seem to be two midlifers on a mission to prove that sexiness has no expiry date – see also, Sánchez’s Instagram shot of Bezos climbing out of the sea last summer in his swimming shorts, captioned by his beloved: ‘Is it just me, or is it hot outside?’.

Besides, Sánchez is leading a movement against the perception that ultra-rich people must always be swathed in cream cashmere or trussed up in old-school couture. A Vogue magazine profile last year of the woman who will soon become Mrs Bezos revealed that  “Sánchez uses a mug Bezos got her from Amazon, with the words ‘Woke up sexy as hell again’ splashed across the side”. She went on to say: “I always found it interesting that people say, ‘Well, Lauren, you definitely dress more for men.’ I actually dress for myself… But it works for Jeff.”

Fusty conventions of what it means to dress for a state occasion have also been slowly upturned over the years, anyway.

It was once considered quite daring for Queen Elizabeth to have worn a black velvet gown designed by Norman Hartnell for an evening meeting Hollywood stars in 1956. It was a risk which paid off. The designer later called it “the greatest triumph ever” although the Queen would go on to embody the most proper way of dressing for black and white tie events, invariably choosing a long white gown which covered everything but offered an excellent backdrop for all her jewels.