MEN have overtaken women in the fashion stakes, according to a recent report.

A survey has revealed that a growing number of men have lost their traditional loathing of clothes shopping and are willing to part with hard cash to look their best.

Men are also less likely then women to wince when they look at the price tag, according to the report from market analysts Mintel.

One of the reasons for the change is the influence of high-profile male role models, who take care over their appearance, such as football icon David Beckham.

Another report, by analyst Datamonitor, has revealed that men are increasingly indulging in a spot of pampering and preening, using a variety of grooming products.

"While men's personal care is a growth industry and attitudes are changing, breaking the 'macho barrier' is no easy task", said Lawrence Gould, consumer markets analyst at Datamonitor.

Kate Yates took to the streets of Worcester to find out what retailers and shoppers thought.

RETAILERS

Iain McCarren, manager of Slater Menswear in the High Street agreed that men are more fashion conscious than ever before.

The 27-year-old spends about £200 each month on clothes, between £20 and £40 on haircuts, £40 on grooming products and confessed that he is partial to the occasional sun-bed.

Von Dutch is one of the designer labels that takes his fancy.

"There are now a lot more magazines that target the way men look," he said.

"Younger men try to create their own styles, whereas years ago they just followed the fashion.

"Shopping used to be more of a ladies thing, now we have men who will come in and browse for an hour."

Mr McCarren said men are now happy to choose their own outfits, rather than relying on their partners.

He agreed that high profile male icons had a big influence on fashion.

"David Beckham has quite a butch attitude, he's not feminine but can dress the way he pleases and dictates his own fashion," he said.

Nicky Sorrell, sales assistant at Topman in the High Street thought modern men were becoming more adventurous with style.

"Men are now more funky and clean looking," she said.

"They experiment with more colours such as pink and yellow.

"Straight lads are a bit more camped up.

"I think they are sometimes more stylish than women and tend to ask for more tips on what to wear."

Louise Hart, manager of The Peer Group in the High Street appreciated the improvement in the appearance of the modern man.

"They definitely look better now and I think that they are on a par with women," she said.

"It's nice that they take pride in themselves."

Julie Warr, owner of Jingo in the CrownGate Shopping Centre, said: "I wouldn't say men are overtaking women in fashion, but they are looking at labels and buying designer clothes.

SHOPPERS

Student Matt Furlong thought that although it was good for men to look after their appearance there were limits to the time they should spend admiring their reflection in the mirror.

"Jason from Big Brother spent hours everyday grooming himself," said the 19-year-old, of Hoskyns Avenue in Warndon Villages, Worcester.

"That is to the extreme."

Nineteen-year-old Matthew Smith , of Byfield Rise in Tallow Hill, Worcester, said: "I think it's good that men are taking more pride in their appearance.

"Beckham shows his feminine side and is not afraid to dress differently," added the chef.

"If women can do it, why can't men?"

Davis Earl said football stars such as Beckham had a big influence on fashion.

"You only need to look at people's hairstyles to see that they are copying him," said the 24-year-old.

"He starts a fashion and everyone follows," added the salesman, of Himbleton Road in St John's, Worcester.

As we spoke, Paul Harris was shocked to discover that most of his outfit was chosen by his female friends.

"There are more 'girly' products available now for men, such as moisturiser, as well as products that I'd never dream of buying, such as after-shave balm," he said.

The 23-year-old operations manager, of McIntyre Road in St John's, Worcester, said a fundamental difference between men and women remained.

"Girls get pleasure out of shopping and guys don't."

THE FACTS

In the survey of 1,000 adults, 56 per cent of women said designer clothes were too expensive, while just 47 per cent of men felt the same.

Just under half the men said they had bought an item of designer clothing in the past year, compared with 44 per cent of women.

The research found that 12 per cent of men had bought designer shoes in the past year compared with 11 per cent of women.

The men's designer-wear market has grown by some 24 per cent over the past five years and is now estimated by Mintel to be worth £613 million, up from £493m in 1999.

The women's market, in comparison, has increased by just 14 per cent over the same five years, from £756m to £862m.

A report from Datamonitor revealed UK men now spend a total of £1.3bn a year on male grooming products.

Men in the UK spend a total of £920m a year on personal hygiene products, £278m a year on haircare products, £88m on fragrances and £65m on skincare products.