MAN ABOUT TOWN

Mai Al Khatib asked four hunky men about town why they dress to impress in Bahrain and what they most desire

Looking back at old TV shows and vintage newsreels from the 1960s and 1970s, it is striking how neatly dressed and well-groomed men once were.

Things started to change in the 1980s, when programmes such as Miami Vice hit the airwaves and TV's most stylish undercover cop Sonny Crockett (played by a rakish 30-something Don Johnson) became the guy every woman wanted to be with and every man wanted to be.

While the character did often wear an expensive suit, there was nothing traditional about it. He rejected a traditional look such as button-down shirts, ties, a clean-shaven face and even socks in favour of light linen jackets with pushed-up sleeves, T-shirts and designer stubble.

Almost 30 years on, the casual look rules the sartorial landscape. It's not unusual to see a pack of guys in the malls wearing T-shirts, jeans and sneakers.

While dishevelment may be a bit more studied for some (a lot of work goes into sexy, rough-and-tumble leading men for action packed films), for millions of ordinary men the uber-casual look is a great excuse to avoid making an effort.

But there's a yin to the stubbly yang. As hit TV shows such as The OC, Greek and fashion channels like the Style Network grow in popularity and re-popularise the allure of the impeccably tailored and flawlessly groomed male, this time in high definition.

While it is likely not to trigger a wholesale return to such meticulous male grooming, it is a reminder that the appeal of the polished appearance and perfectly pomaded hair still resonates.

And why shouldn't men make an effort? After all, women certainly do.

Image is particularly relevant in the Middle East. A global survey carried out by Braun's bodycruZer, a men's popular body grooming product, of 3,500 women ages 18 to 39 set out to help them, and there's some bad news for the unkempt masses: Few women have positive associations with unpolished men.

Just five per cent see that type of guy as sexy; only four per cent see him as passionate and only two per cent associate him with success and power.

And these perceptions aren't the province of older or married women, whom one might expect to be a little more conservative. In fact it's younger women and singles that respond this way.

The study showed that women of various cultures want men to make an effort with their personal appearance.

This isn't to say they all want to date vain men that are more interested in themselves than in the women in their life. Rather it's a matter of going to a little trouble to look nice. A man who makes an effort to improve himself is more likely to appreciate a woman who does the same.