Flashy silk and gold-embroidered outfits, adorned with pointy red shoes fit for royalty, are acceptable garb for Bollywood performers.

But apparently not if you are the telegenic prime minister of Canada on a trade trip to India.

Justin Trudeau and his family have attracted some praise but also ridicule during their eight day visit for wearing elaborate traditional clothing that some insist is more appropriate for a Maharajah and his court than a visiting leader.

While admirers in the sprawling multicultural country lauded him for dressing “truly in the spirit of India,” the tut-tutting disapproval was far louder.