He's the only politician who could appear on Q&A in a leather jacket and get away with it.

Now, Malcolm Turnbull has set sartorial tongues wagging again by appearing on the cover of the latest edition of men's fashion magazine GQ.

Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop posed for Harper's Bazaar magazine in late 2014.

A slick - retouched? - image of the Minister for Communications appears under the cheeky headline, "Primed Minister. Malcolm Turnbull: A man on the move. Next stop the Lodge. Maybe."

With pursed lips, steely blue eyes, clenched fist and a bold combination of navy suit, striped blue shirt and an orange and white tie, it's an arresting image.