Article by Maria Bervanakis /
News.com.au /
April 15, 2016 /
Click here to view original /
FORGET rough, tough and rugged.
When it comes to style all Aussie blokes want is to look like Hollywood’s leading men.
That’s clean, lean and gentlemanlike.
No way? Fair dinkum!
One of the first questions image consultant Paul Giles from Style Shift asks his clients before they begin their makeover is which celebrity they want to look like.
His clients in different age brackets tended to pick different celebrities, he reveals.
Over fifties: George Clooney.
Forties: Brad Pitt.
Thirties: David Beckham.
Teens-twenties: Harry Styles; Zac Efron.
Now that’s an impressive list, albeit a tad disappointing there’s no homegrown talent on there (cue, Hugh Jackman).
“Without a doubt they are the top four,” Giles says.
“They have made being a metrosexual cool.
“There are no other categories. You are either a metrosexual or a bogan.
“You can still be tough and strong but you still need to look after yourself.”
Beckham especially changed the male style landscape in Australia and worldwide.
“David Beckham put everything on the map,” Giles, who wrote The Gentlemen’s Guide to Cool, says.
“Especially tattoos. Ten years ago anyone with tattoos looked like bikies and murderers and now just about everyone has them.”
Julian Burak from A Good Man styling and image consultancy found similar trends among his Aussie clients.
Here are the celebrities who his clients chose:
Over fifties: George Clooney and Daniel Craig.
Forties: David Beckham and David Gandy.
Thirties: Eddie Redmayne and Mark Ronson.
Teens-twenties: A$AP Rocky and Harry Styles.
These celebs’ cool and confident look is the envy of Australians, Burak says.
“Ultimately it is about confidence,” he added.
“These men confidently own what they are wearing and add their own personal touch to it. Effortlessly cool.”
Just don’t mention genetics to the stylists.
Sure you don’t have the chiselled jawline and rock hard abs but with a little attention to your wardrobe you can get the star look, they say.
“Less is more. Don’t try and overdo it,” Burak advises.
“Build out a basic wardrobe and then add some accenting pieces to promote your personal style.
“Best to spend money on shoes and jackets. Keep your trousers and shirts basic.”
Once you nail the wardrobe then it’s time to own the new look by investing in your attitude, Giles adds.
“You need to convince yourself you are the man you want to be before you can draw others into the picture,” he says.
“If you think it, you live it, you be it.”
Burak adds: “We don’t give advice on how to walk and talk like celebrities. In all it’s about being the ultimate version of yourself. Each guy is an individual and famous in their own rights. We just highlight and make sure the wardrobe reflects who they are. Legends.”
OK boys. But at what point does taking inspiration from a celebrity become unhealthy?
After all, to quote the late and great Whitney Houston, “Learning to love yourself, It is the greatest love of all”.
Dr Lauren Rosewarne, who specialises in popular culture and sexuality at the University of Melbourne School of Social and Political Science, said, quite simply, celebrity culture becomes a problem when it takes over your life.
“Imitating a celebrity on its own or looking up to a celebrity or mimicking style trends are not a problem, but like anything when done to excess it is problematic,” Dr Rosewarne said.
“Like all addictions when it starts to interfere with other things in your life that you consider important, it is a problem.
“For example, if you are spending so much money you can’t pay your bills, it’s a problem. If you are feeling bad about your inability to look like that celebrity, it is a problem.”
For more information on A Good Man see agoodman.com.au and Style Shift see www.styleshift.com.au