Becks sparks nail polish craze
David Beckham - the man who brought sarongs and diamond earrings to the British male - has sparked a demand for nail varnish for men, High Street giant Woolworths said today.
The chain's staff have spotted a "large surge" in the number of men asking for nail varnish after Beckham was pictured wearing it.
The England captain sported pink fingernails at the christening of Liz Hurley's baby, donned silvery-black varnish for a cover shoot for GQ magazine and was rumoured to have worn nail polish for a pre-World Cup England team visit to Downing Street.
And while some of his other style-setting ventures - notably the sarong and the revelation that he likes to wear wife Victoria's G-strings - did not set the fashion world on fire, Woolworths reports that men have been keen to polish up their act.
"We have seen a large surge in men coming into the shop and asking for nail polish," a spokeswoman said.
"Some of the staff were a bit confused at first until it was pointed out that Beckham had started a new craze."
She said it was too early to tell if the interest would be reflected in an increase in sales, or if any particular colours were being favoured by men.
US-based cosmetics firm Hard Candy have marketed nail varnish for men in "masculine" metallic shades of purple, black, blue, green and gold with names like Gigolo and Testosterone, and celebrities including Lenny Kravitz, Antonio Banderas and Quentin Tarantino have all been spotted wearing nail polish.
