Get The Look - Pete Doherty

This week’s for the boys. A stalwart on both the best and worst dressed lists, you can’t deny that Pete’s style has something. Here Emily Solan is going to show you how you too can get his scruffy sex appeal.

• Accessories - Pete is rarely seen without some form of accessory, with his favourites appearing to be his Rosary Beads (as seen on a few other celebs recently), some form of headwear, usually his trusty trilby, a festival favourite spotted every summer, and occasionally some knatty scarf or a skinny tie.
• Tailored suit - Doherty often uses these to shows his more respectable side to your mum. When teamed with a skinny tie and your shirt not quite tucked in, you get his “just got offstage after being ravaged by fans” look with none of the effort of learning to play an instrument and forming a band.
• Polo Shirt - For the more casual moments, the polo shirt and skinny jeans are your best friend. Pete’s look harks back to the 60’s mods, 80’s indie and 90’s Britpop, this is a tried and trusted look. For the best polo shirts try Fred Perry, but nowadays most high streets stock a wide selection, just pick the colours to suit your style.
• Leather Jacket - It’s all about the battered, the better with Pete’s look. For one of these a vintage shop is your best friend, highly recommended is Rare Ape on Holmeside in Sunderland. 

So here are my top tips for stealing Pete’s look:

• Polo Shirt - As I said before, you’re best off looking at Fred Perry to nail Pete’s look. The original slim-fit polo cost £45 and comes in a variety of different colour ways, so you can pick and mix to get just the look you’re after.
• Skinny Ties - Available from £10 www.topman.com. Stick to just plain black like Pete, or they offer a wide variety of colours and prints to suit your mood.
• Trilby - You can find these anywhere, but you’re best bet for Pete’s signature summer straw trilby is to check out that little stall on the market that looks like your grandad should shop there, thye usually have the best hats.

The key to Pete’s look is pretty much look like you fell in the bin at the back of Oxfam, but with a little flair. So go out have fun and work the rock star look with none of the effort.

Blur reform, headline Glasto?

Britpop heroes Blur have announced that they will reform during the summer of 2009.

Singer Damon Albarn has been prolific since the split, first spawning cult cartoon band Gorillaz, then forming supergroup The Good The Bad & The Queen, and then working on his Africa Express project, but he has clearly decided now is the time to resurrect the Blur juggernaut.

Two live dates have already been announced for mega-venue Hyde Park in London on the 2^nd and 3^rd of July, with the Thursday show still having tickets available to buy from the usual outlets for £45.

And it looks like the Sunday slot at Glastonbury is free for them to play, meaning they could close the three-day bash in Somerset.

Since the band’s split five years ago, the four members have had mixed fortunes. While Albarn’s career has gone from strength to strength, guitarist Graham Coxon has battled through a well-received but not commercially-successful solo career. Bassist Alex James has become a cheese farmer, written for various publications and presented a Panorama programme on cocaine in Columbia, and drummer Dave Rowntree lost an election as he bid to become a councillor.

During the summer Albarn was quoted in an Argentinian newspaper as claiming that ‘Blur are over’. Coxon retaliated on an internet form by stating “Damon didn’t consult anybody else before he took it into his own hands to make this comment. Therefore I think it is nonsense. It isn’t for him to decide.” Coxon and Albarn had fallen out after the former’s alleged alcohol problems had threatened the future of the band. Blur then went on to record their final studio album, Think Tank, without Coxon.

A month ago Albarn did a U-turn on his comments, changing his mind to say that “It’s very possible I’ll go back to Blur. It really is very possible.” He continued by saying “Graham and I have been hanging out together a bit. We had lunch the other day. He’s great, it’s fantastic to get my old friend back. So it’s good, but I can’t really say any more than that.”

And then two weeks ago Albarn revealed that the band would reunite next summer. Coxon and Albarn then gave an interview to the NME, in which the Hyde Park dates were announced.

Fans are now waiting to hear about tiny warm-up dates before the pair of huge London shows. It remains to be seen whether or not the band will record any new material.