Men of Australia, might you really be dressing up more these days? Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z bring sexy back with Suit & Tie at this year's Grammy Awards. THERE'S another reason 80 per cent of women fancy George Clooney. OK, I made the figure up, but are you really going to argue? I mean a reason other than his handsomeness, his bachelorhood and the fact he co-owns a tequila brand. It's this: Clooney dresses like a gentleman. You never see him wearing a cartoon T-shirt or old sneakers. I'm always surprised by how few men follow Gorgeous George's cue. Whole footy teams dress like teenage boys in hoodies and hideous cargo pants that I hope make them feel like soldiers; otherwise, why bother? Today I saw a fellow, 38 if he was a day, in a smiley-face tee (the 1990s are back: groan). He was arsing about on a skateboard. When he fell off, I wanted to ask if I should call his mummy. Try to picture Clooney or Cary Grant in a smiley-face top. You can't. See? Those guys are associated with a Rat Pack sexiness and polish - an enthralling manliness that seems like magic. Only it's not wizardry; it's just clothes. Guys like that know their way around a suit. Not an ill-fitting grey article that looks as cheap as it is - I'm talking a proper, expensive one from Harrolds. Harrolds is Australia's poshest menswear emporium. It's where you go to get your Tom Ford and your Brioni. The kind of suit or jacket or even shirt that makes you feel a million bucks - and look like you've left school. Marco Siracusa, who manages the Harrolds store in Melbourne, says, "Simply, it's empowering." He explains, "Self-confidence has always been the key to success," and believes the right clothes are powerful tools for that, citing as a fine example "a made-to-measure suit cut perfectly to form a sharp and flattering silhouette." Brave blokes are dabbling in three-piece suits, bow ties and English gentleman tweeds. Internationally, dapper is a definite trend. Many a waistcoat was busted out during awards season. Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z have been performing in their Suit & Tie show, bringing sexy back in floppy velvet bow ties and sharp jackets. Their entire band wore pocket squares and cufflinks at the Grammys. What did I tell you? Dungarees are for mechanics. So is it happening here? Luxury giant Dior is banking on it. Its flagship Australian store, opened in Sydney in February, has two floors and a separate entrance dedicated to Dior Homme, which is reviving double-breasted suits in that inescapably grown-up shade, navy. Meanwhile, Topman sells bow ties. My favourite has both feathers and studs and comes on a display card printed with the immortal words "Absolutely Spiffing." Also look out for tiepins, pocket squares and antique-look cufflinks adorned with horse's heads. Topman's head personal shopper, Kevin Luong, admits some blokes "don't know what a pocket square is" but that's where he comes in. "The average guy is more than willing to give it a go, but sometimes they need to be pointed in the right direction," he says. We have a smart suiting section where you can find your whole ensemble, head-to-toe. Drew Hoare of menswear chain MJ Bale reports a surge in Aussie gents shopping for tailored clothing outside of traditional workwear. There's a vogue for Ivy League dressing on the weekends. It's a definite trend away from street and surfwear in the younger bracket. When I go out, I rarely see a guy in a T-shirt and jeans now; it's all about the tailored jacket and the button-down shirt. And young tailors are cropping up in our cities, such as Patrick Johnson, who cuts his suits from a swish townhouse in Sydney's Paddington and has a second atelier in South Melbourne. In London you can walk down the street in a bright pink suit and no one cares. We're not there yet, but we're getting better," he says. Luong says we have Ryan Gosling - the new straight-guy pin-up for dapper Hollywood - to thank. "We've seen a growth in men referencing other men's style," he says. Johnson reckons this newfound confidence is down to blogs. "Men who would never look at a fashion magazine will jump online, see a real person on The Sartorialist and think, "I can do that." Men used to worry their colleagues would take the piss out of them for dressing up, but that's changing. And what if they do? You're a real man who wears real shoes with leather soles, right? You have a barber and a favourite brand of dress shirt? Cufflinks don't scare you any more than niggling workmates in shoddy clobber? You've read this and swapped your skateboard for an Audi? Excellent. My work here is done. This article originally appeared in Sunday Style magazine. You can download the app from iTunes here Follow Clare on Twitter @MrsPress