guybabineau.com
home / about / writing samples / channel
surfing in the sea of happiness /
contact
< back to Mannequin
The Men of 2003
by Guy Babineau
Every year, the magazine and TV tallies of who's hot and who's
not are predictable and interchangeable, with minor variations. A
man's place in the pecking order corresponds directly to his level
of visibility in North America, and how much money he makes as
a sports, film, or pop star. Although my alternative list of the most
stylish is also limited to international celebrities, I have tried to
whip up a less obvious, more global menu of 11 fellas who
reflect and encourage the look, spirit, and diversity of Vancouver
men. There's no particular order, and I've included Web links to
images of people with whom some readers may not be familiar.
WANG LEE-HOM
A superstar across eastern Asia, 27-year-old Lee-Hom has
recorded nine pop/rock albums in Mandarin, Cantonese, and
Japanese and has starred in three action movies (China Strike
Force, The Avenging Fist, and Moon Child). The trendy
American-born, Taiwanese singer-composer plays the piano,
guitar, and violin. A major heartthrob among teens and young
women on the other side of the Pacific Rim, he's got the
wardrobe to back it up. (www.chinese.altocelebs.com/w/wang-
lee-hom/)
DAVID BECKHAM
Probably the world's most famous athlete, Beckham, 28, has
almost single-handedly transformed the image of soccer away
from connotations of half-witted hooligans boozing and brawling.
I can forgive him for appearing at fashion events with his hair
twisted up because, with his out-there outfits and playful attitude
about makeup, he's given straight white guys the courage to mix
it up a bit.
DEREK MILLER
In the video for the title track of his first CD, Music Is the
Medicine, striking Derek Miller sports a slick mod haircut and a
sleek, dark suit. In his early 20s and raised on the Six Nations
Reserve in Ontario, he was the winner of a 2003 Juno Award for
Aboriginal Recording of the Year. (www.derekmillermusic.com/)
HIDETOSHI NAKATA
Make room, Beckham. Although he left Japan for Italy to play for
Parma, Nakata is a soccer hero at home. With his ever-changing
hair colour and super-trendy electric-hued hoodies and phat
shorts, the 26-year-old entrepreneurial athlete looks less like a
jock than the frontman for a boy band. (nakata.net/en/)
SAM ROBERTS
With two albums under his belt, The Inhuman Condition and We
Were Born in a Flame, the 27-year-old hockey playerturned-
rocker exudes exuberant, youthful Canadian guyness. The
Montrealer's dark, smoky look, casual clothes, scruffy whiskers,
and back-to-basics rock 'n' roll set him well apart from all the
fakes out there. Two thumbs up for style without guile.
AKSHAY KHANNA
The classically handsome Khanna, 28, is a movie star whose
masculine good looks are equally at home in trendy club gear or
sophisticated formalwear à la James Bond. He starred alongside
Aamir Khan in Dil Chahta Hai, and his credits include the recent
Bollywood films Deewangee and LoC.
(www.apunkachoice.com/people/act23/)
MARK MESSIER
The bald and the beautiful. At 42, this rugged, chiselled NHL star
rules. He's aging like a fine wine, and he knows how to wear a
suit with style and flair. Add ice, and stir.
COCO ZHAO
Known simply as Coco, China's first openly gay celebrity is on
this list because his courage and androgynous style are
admirable and influential. At 26, the celebrated jazz singer,
described in a Paris newspaper as "the boy Billie Holiday from
China", croons in Shanghai's hippest clubs.
(www.slomo.ch/sites/coco.htm)
JAMES BLAKE
The average guy walking around with dreads
mushroom-clouding above a terry-towel headband would look
like a doofus, but even when he's sweating it on the court, this
tennis pro looks like he just swept in from the runway. No wonder
GQ featured Blake in a fat fashion spread a few months ago. His
Web site says the dreads are dead, though, and he's shown with
a shaved head. (www.jamesblaketennis.com/)
DAVID BOWIE
He's not a cham-eleon anymore; he's a gentleman in impeccably
tailored suits and sleek coif. Britpop's most influential musician
and trendsetter is still in fine form, with 2002's Heathen and
2003's Reality getting airplay and sales Bowie hasn't enjoyed in
years. A youthful 57, he's more stylish than ever. Bowie plays
GM Place on January 25.
NELSON MANDELA
After 27 years in a South African prison, in 1990 Mandela, now
85, walked out, dazzling us with grace, compassion, humility,
and hope against all odds. He has since become a role model for
men around the world. And I sure like the colourful shirts he
wears.
Men's Tailoring
The Man Who Shot Ziggy Stardust
Boss Hugo Boss
Ken: The Ultimate Male Model
Men's Shoes
Heatherette
The Duffer of St. George
The Men of 2003
© Guy Babineau 2003-2004
< back to Mannequin