WHO BARES WINS AS MEN UNDO BUTTONS TO LOOK LIKE SIMON COWELL

HIS high-waisted trousers have made him the butt of jokes but Simon Cowell has turned into something of a trendsetter.

The music mogul’s recent appearance on TV show Britain’s Got Talent in a shirt open almost to his navel was an instant hit with British men.

Three-quarters said they would now go for a night out in a shirt with at least three buttons undone while 41 per cent would dare to leave four buttons not done up.

The trend has even spread to the workplace, with 36 per cent of men saying they would ditch their shirt and tie for the unbuttoned look, research by department store Debenhams found.

Nearly two-thirds of men said that celebrities and reality TV stars

As well as Cowell, 51, actors Ryan Reynolds, Gerard Butler, Tom Selleck and Burt Reynolds were cited as role models for the trend. Paul Baldwin, menswear director at Debenhams, said: “This is a look more commonly associated with Latin lovers, but it has now hit these shores with British men embracing the warmer weather to bare their chests.”

He added that men thought the look attracted women. “You only need to look at Simon Cowell vs. Louis Walsh on The X Factor to know that button-free fashion gets the girls,” he said.

Unbuttoned shirts were most popular in creative jobs such as advertising, marketing and design, but 27 per cent of accountants and lawyers said they would wear them at work on a Friday afternoon.

Debenhams is creating special new shirts for the look. “We are looking into ways to ensure the collar always sits open to display the chest when the shirt is left undone,” said Mr Baldwin.