She glowed, the gown did not.

The gown Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau wore to Washington’s state dinner Wednesday night could have – and should have – been better.

In her highest profile appearance yet, Grégoire-Trudeau chose to wear a purple gown embroidered with orange and pink floral details by Lucian Matis.

It was underwhelming. The embroidered suspenders and belt were mere decoration, rather than interesting structure. It was a simple cap sleeve gown, a touch too covered up for the occasion. No, we didn’t expect to see Sophie in a deep plunging gown as is standard on the red carpets today, but even Michelle Obama wore a strapless gown by Jason Wu – raised in Vancouver – with a modern folded structure.

The Matis gown lacked drama and sophistication. And while Grégoire-Trudeau glows in just about anything she wears, this did not especially flatter her.

Surprisingly, Grégoire-Trudeau wore another dress by the Romanian-born Toronto-based designer during the day, a red crew neck with surprising fuchsia floral print insets. That was a dramatic dress, but perhaps just a bit much for daytime wear. And those lavish florals are a signature for Matis, and might have provided just the drama needed in a state dinner gown.

Duy’s travelling suit was a better choice for Grégoire-Trudeau, with its subtle sandy colour – she has often worn pale colours and they do flatter her. Of course, a suit is a tried and true uniform, a classic, without the variation and room for disaster that makes watching events like red carpets such a blood sport.

But to give credit where credit is due: Grégoire-Trudeau is putting the spotlight on Canadian design.

Vanessa Friedman in the New York Times called the dinner a catwalk for Canadian fashion. And Robin Givhan, in the Washington Post, wrote an article headlined “Yes, Canada has fashion designers, and the first ladies wore them to the state dinner.”

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Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau and Justin Trudeau shot by Norman Jean Roy for Vogue magazine.

It’s quite extraordinary that a Canadian prime minister and his wife should be featured in Vogue.

The fashion magazine feature on Justin Trudeau and Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau, online now and to appear in the January print edition, has unleashed a mini-blizzard of reaction and snarky comment.

It is a fine piece of writing, and rings true about the two personalities and the Canadian political scene –not at all the fluff one would expect given the headlines about the “steamy” photographs.

Portrait of Justin Trudeau, shot by Norman Jean Roy for Vogue magazine.

But the story is odd on more than one count: How is it that a U.S. publication got first dibs on the couple? The New York Times came out with an in-depth profile on Trudeau, as well.

On the fashion front, why was Grégoire-Trudeau wearing Oscar de la Renta, the U.S. master of elegance and designer to ladies who lunch? The designer, born in the Dominican Republic, died last year. Peter Copping now designs the line.

This was the perfect opportunity for Grégoire-Trudeau to shine the light on Canadian designers, something she has always done. There was the white alpaca Sentaler coat worn to the swearing-in ceremony, punctuated by a red poppy, and a grey coat from the same Toronto-based line worn to Remembrance Day ceremonies.

There’s something of the style of Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, about Grégoire-Trudeau. Perhaps it’s the glossy hair and glowing complexion, but it’s also the way she knows how to use fashion to her best advantage. She was a personal stylist for a short time at Holt Renfrew, after all. Now, as everybody knows, her friend Jessica Mulroney, wife of Ben, is doing the styling honours,

But even Kate wore Canadian – a lace dress by Montreal-bred Erdem – and Toronto-based Smythe on her visit to Canada in 2011. For the record, Grégoire-Trudeau also wore Erdem beneath that white alpaca coat.

And like Kate, who gave a nod to Canada with a red maple leaf fascinator on her visit here, Grégoire-Trudeau wore a maple leaf diamond brooch to meet the Queen.

Never mind that there has been some controversy over the loan from Birks, which was publicized by the jeweller. It is right and proper for a Canadian prime minister’s wife to wear a maple leaf pin from a Canadian jeweller.

If Birks was a bit quick on the PR draw, well, let’s forgive them this time.

Sure, U.S. Vogue will always be there to promote American designers, just as Flare, Fashion, Elle and Châtelaine do for Canadians, and just as U.S. first ladies from Jackie Kennedy to Michelle Obama have done for designers like Oleg Cassini, Jason Wu and Michael Kors, de la Renta and many more.

Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts ball in 2012, wearing Theia, part of Montreal’s J.S. Group of brands.

All this said, the blue and gold lace frock looked fine on Grégoire, posed in embrace with her husband with their signature besotted gaze. Montreal-born, New York-based photographer Norman Jean Roy snapped the photos with a “sittings editor” and hair and makeup artists from Vogue. Roy told Maclean’s magazine the choice of the $5,700 Oscar de la Renta frock may have been Anna Wintour’s decision.

There are two portraits of Trudeau solo posted online, as well.

But surely the wife of a Canadian prime minister could have stood up to the mighty Wintour and Vogue, and insisted on a Canadian designer – Mikael D. (known for his red carpet lace gowns), Wayne Clark, Marie Saint Pierre, Tavãn & Mitto or Duy, to name a few.

The publication is not out yet – perhaps we will be surprised with additional photos once it hits the newsstands.

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