ONCE it was strictly for girls. But pink is now the fashionable man's favourite colour, according to a new poll.

Sales of men's pink shirts and ties have steadily grown over the last few years from 11 per cent in 2004 to 16 per cent in 2006.

And it would seem that men in the south are more in touch with their feminine side as 65 per cent of pink shirts sold last year were in the south compared to 15 per cent in the north.

The survey was carried out to mark the Real Men Wear Pink Campaign launched by Moss, the menswear retailer, in the run-up to Valentine's Day.

Dr Veronika Koller, lecturer at Lancaster University who has carried out research on the significance of colour, says pink has more meanings than any other colour.

"Historically pink was worn by boys and blue was for girls.

"After the First World War there was a complete turn around when blue became associated with military uniforms, male jobs and masculinity.

"The marketing industry adopted pink for girls simply as a contrast."

Koller believes the trend has now come full circle.

"Pink has become a fashion statement for men. Men who wear pink send out a clear message that they perceive themselves as being cutting edge, modern, out of the ordinary and special."

Leigh Coda, 19, who is on the books of local agency Modelhub, after winning last year's Mr Bournemouth competition, says he is comfortable in pink.

"One of my favourite looks is a nice pink shirt with a black suit. I've not been wearing pink for that long.

"Baby blue was always my favourite colour but now I've got a few smart pink dress shirts and a few ties."

Leigh's agent Lee Collier says he's always had a thing about pink too.

"I've worn it for years. I have had a bit of stick about it in the past.

"I remember the first time I wore a pink shirt for a night out in my home town of Blandford - I did get a lot of strange looks.

"People assumed you were gay if you wore pink!

"But it's much more acceptable for men to wear pink now.

"There are probably more pink shirts in my wardrobe than any other colour."

Store manager of Moss in Westover Road Philip Freemantle says pink is the colour of choice for the modern man.

"In terms of formal wear, pink has been around for a few years, but it's now a cool fashion colour.

"It doesn't have to be too garish - there are so many different shades and tones that most people can carry it off.

"It's also very versatile too as it goes with most colours."

Pink Facts

  • In Medieval times the colour pink was the favourite colour for men's hose.
  • The symbolic meaning of pink is joy and happiness.
  • The phrase In The Pink' derives from 18th century citations in which the meaning was to reach the very pinnacle of something and not necessarily limited to the modern day interpretation of all things healthy or desirable.
  • Before 1920, pink was the colour for little boys as it was seen as lighter version of red, the masculine colour of blood and fighting.
  • After World War One, blue became popular with boys because of military uniforms and pink became the colour for girls.

Think pink

1. This season's trend for all shades of grey and chocolate tailoring goes perfectly with pale pink accessories.

2. A pink shirt with a contrast white collar looks sharp and will give a modern edge to any city slicker look.

3. For the pink-shy, an easy way to introduce pink to your wardrobe is wearing a tie with pink as a highlight colour.