Once upon a time, there was a little TV show called ‘Friends’. For ten years it regaled us with the sometimes hilarious shenanigans of six 30-somethings trying to get by in New York City.

We laughed heartily as they tried to make sense of love, friendship and the meaning of life. Phoebe with her non-threatening ditzy sluttiness and god-awful singing; Ross with his terrifically boring personality but strange attraction to lesbians and dinosaurs; Monica with her crippling OCD and peculiar daddy-issues; Chandler with his riotous upbringing by a trans-sexual father and subsequent biting sarcasm which became horrifically annoying and Rachel with THAT hair which I tried for a few months but couldn’t quite pull-off.

Good times. However, someone decided that the best way to move forward was to award the stupidest member of the group their own spin-off show: Joey. The premise was ok; the dumb-as-rocks man-whore actor would move to LA to pursue his non-existent acting career, with all manner of zany situations created for our viewing pleasure. The reality was that it would have been funnier watching someone set light to a box of kittens.

The spin-off doesn’t always work, especially when the mother-brand is so highly regarded and successful. It will always be seen as the inferior cousin.

In order to make it a stand alone success, it has to built on it’s own merits and the fashion world has seen some considerable successes in this regard. Armani Exchange is placed just far enough away from the Black Label so that it’s casual wear lines does not cannibalize Giorgio’s prime brand. And Marc by Marc Jacobs has created a whole spectrum of must-haves for a massive market which cannot afford his runway collections.

A lessor known example is Z Zegna, the trend-based label of Ermenegildo Zegna, an Italian fashion dynasty famous for their impeccable tailoring and also for their manufacturing of suits for Gucci, YSL and Tom Ford.

The ‘Z’ collection now accounts for around 15% of sales of the parent company and is making inroads with the fashion-forward set by still holding on to the tailoring standards but with more daring cuts and bolder fabrics.

The spring collection identifies ‘dandyism’ as an upcoming trend: slim-cut blazers with contrasting waist-coats, nipped at the waist and also the obligatory splash of summer shades and billowing pants.

The Z Zegna collections are available at Ermenegildo Zegna stores in MoE, Emirates Towers Boulevard and from Harvey Nichols in MoE and Rodeo Drive outlets in Abu Dhabi Marina Mall and Khalifa Street.

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I don’t care what my friend Nigel says, anal electrocution is not fun. Therefore, my heart goes out to the Chinchilla population who are subjected to Nigel’s version of a good weekend in order to provide rich housewives with wearable statements of their wealth.

Up until now, other land-based mammals have looked upon the Chinchilla with pity but also relief: whilst they are being brutalized for glossy editorials in Vogue, cute little rabbits, beavers and guinea pigs have been free to roam around and get on with their lives.

Billy Reid's 2010 collection.

Well the party is officially over and the dark cloud of misery is now spreading to some unexpected members of the animal kingdom in order to provide menswear designers with the Cruella-De-Ville look.

Vanity Fair reports that the Nutria is being gently coaxed ( not so much ) into handing over it’s winter coat for use for collar trim and hats for designers Billy Reid and Gilles Mendel.

The animal itself is the stuff of nightmares: weighing 9kgs with orange teeth and a scaly tail, they live in rivers around the southern states of the US and in Canada.

However their fur is allegedly “tougher than mink”, with a shiny finish, which leads itself well for use in mens clothing.

One fashionisto describes it as “bad-ass fur”.

Turns out that what I thought was my maths teacher’s disastrous fashion sense was actually vintage YSL….bijouliving.com

You want it your way? Ralph Lauren goes Starbucks for the picky polo-shirt lover…..frenchtruckers.com

Personally, I’m waiting for the “I wanna take a ride on your disco-stick” version…..bryanboy.com

For those that just love to run in denim but hate the chaffing, the answer is here!……fantasticman.com

For all of you who still currently sit on the fence on the subject of the man-bag, you need to take a lesson from Asian men who would never leave home without one.

Pieces from Louis Vuitton Spring 2010 collection

Although the subject continues to polarize opinion as much as whether further sanctions on Iran are justified or if Erin should give Tiger Woods one more chance to be the perfect husband, the major designers are starting to make it extremely difficult for us to resist.

As well as the practicalities of a day-to-day bag, high-end specimens are investment pieces with quality and design that will never go out of fashion and will last you a lifetime.

Balenciaga men's range...available from Harvey Nichols MoE.

Case in point is Balenciaga: highly coveted by the fairer sex and with colossal waiting lists, the new mens range is available at Harvey Nichols and is subtly styled with weathered leathers in neutral shades with twisted detail on pockets and handles.

Louis Vuitton is a sure-fire-winner and the more conservative stylings of Mulberry and Tods are perfect for those who don’t want to attract too much attention.

However, something that has really got me reaching for my murse ( that’s man-purse to you ) is the forthcoming collection from Gucci.

Gucci...coming soon.

Available from winter, the stunning range is sleek and smart with bold flashes of the trademark Gucci-band.

Volume wise, it’s unbeatable: if like me you usually venture to the office or beach with a heavily-laden donkey to carry your paraphernalia, then you will appreciate the square-footage that they deliver.

Fashion journalism is fantastic. Sometimes it hypnotizes and manipulates us into buying things that we don’t want ( StepGym shoes anybody? ) and at other times, it can guide us in a direction that we otherwise would never have considered, with fantastic results.

FantasticMan magazine has taken on the challenge of making H&M seem haute through a series of beautiful editorial shots.

And so, without further ado, we present a rather upmarket representation of how an outfit from H&M can be made to look like it wasn’t bought from H&M.

All pieces can be purchased from H&M stores throughout Dubai in the coming months.

Spiritual life-force is the new Atkins….gawker.com

Forget the interest rates, GDP and unemployment figures, the true state of the economy is foretold in skivvies…undiesdrawer.com

The caucasian man’s mortal enemy; nude-toned clothing is here and will suck the pigment from your soul…fantasticman.com

RIP Mr Birkin…..luxuo.com

She has a lot to answer for, Miss Gaga. Sure, she has brought us some of the most addictive pop since the Macarena ( don’t deny it, you loved it too and knew the dance routine as if it were engrained in your DNA ) and has made women everywhere think that they too would look good in a latex playsuit or a metal head-dress.

However she has now surpassed the level of notorious ingenue and is now a bona-fide mainstream sensation, and so comes the sell-out.

As ground-breaking and entertaining as the ‘Telephone’ video was, it is effectively an infomercial for everything from Virgin Mobile to WonderBread. And at the moment when she takes the photograph of Beyonce with the Polaroid camera, I could almost hear the frantic stomping of Gaga-ettes, rushing to revive this particular blast from the past.

Many years ago they were the height of sophistication, until you actually tried to take a picture which required a frantic ‘electrocuted-whilst-having-an-epileptic-fit’ motion in order to get the instant photo to develop. The quality of the lens was so poor that I have had mug-shots taken of better quality.

Also, after a certain period of time, the colour would drain out of the pictures, making every occasion look like it was shot in the 1920′s. Young children would all end up looking like chimney sweeps and women like Mary Poppins.

However the latest incarnation of cameras ( the 300 series, below ) and film are reported to be of much better quality and comparatively cheaper than the first time round. And I must admit, I do get a warm and fuzzy waft of nostalgia when I think about the instant gratification that a Polaroid moment creates.

Currently available for pre-order on Polaroid.com for 260dhs and in department stores and Lady Gaga affiliated outlets of disrepute in August.

Beating down our self esteem for another season, D&G release their new underwear campaign..D&G

My feelings of detest for the ipad are soothed slightly by Louis Vuitton….bagaholicboy.com

What a fabulous rip-off! London College Of Fashion charges double for it’s first Dubai courses….lamodadubai.com

As a gentrified male, I hope the Top-Hat and cane make a revival soon…..worldmanabouttown

In this months Vanity Fair, Christian Louboutin ( he of the shoes ) states that,

” The Father comes to the store and says that he is there to buy shoes for his Daughter’s first ball. The Mother keeps saying that the Daughter can wear one of her old pair of heels, but the Father insists….it’s a nice ritual “.

For those guys ( including me ) who feel hurt and disheartened at being left out of this pump-purchasing-parent right of passage, it’s time to cash-in the Daddy-guilt cause the man-Louboutin is here!

An outrageous combination of black leather and pretruding studs with a sole covered in the trademark street-walker red, the “Louis” is the iconic Designer’s most daring foray into menswear. The shoe itself is a contradiction: styled like a sneaker but the multitude of pointy edges make this suitable for only the most fabulously barbaric of sports.

Hotly anticipated ( sold out already ) and highly-priced ( 4000 dirhams a pair! ), it’s no surprise that the first allocation has been snapped-up. On the plus side, this gives you more time to work on sowing the seeds of parent-pressure so that they can finally give you the graduation you deserved.

I intend to draw on my own rather underwhelming pre-prom experience, which consisted of my Father handing me a can of Lager and telling me not to get anyone pregnant. The following years of pain and dysfunction can be only be resolved by good-old-fashioned materialistic compensation, paid for by a guilty parent.

The Christian Louboutin store opens at Mall Of The Emirates in October. luisaviaroma.com specialises in all things amazing and will have the shoes when the next quota ships.

A bathroom complete with Armani branded towels soaps and possibly toilet paper ( not really ).

Loving the grey and white combination of the suites.

Another example of effortless restraint; this time in natural tones.

The suite sitting area...I want that couch!

The terrace overlooking Downtown.

Armani does sushi at the Hashi restaurant.

Backlighting is extremely flattering: another reason to visit the Armani Nightclub.

Thanks to Arabian Business.