Harold Teshima, a lifeguard at Sandy's, spends his days in board shorts and bare feet. The Big Island native's idea of dressing up is shorts, a T-shirt and rubber slippers. This New Year's Eve, however, he plans to kick it up a notch. We went shopping with him to find an outfit with some style that he can wear, wherever he may decide to go to celebrate the start of 2009. We found a great ensemble to suit his style at The Blue Buddha. Owner Budi Staven, who also teaches Introduction to Fashion and Fashion Forecasting at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa, helped with the search.

Staven said his male customers have outnumbered female customers by 2-to-1 during the past few weeks. Can it be that local men are turning over a new leaf during the holiday season? Will the Bishop Street guys really trade in their reverse-print aloha shirts and Dockers for something a little more, shall we say, fashionable? Will the surfers try out some fashion-forward alternatives to shorts and T-shirts? We can only hope.

Anthony Daniel of Sonia Daniel in Ward Centre said his male customer base has grown dramatically, too. He implores men: "Don't be scared to be fashionable. Be expressive with your attire!"

Daniel, who loves to talk trends, said menswear this season is all about metallic shine or sheen, texture, embellishment, tucks and pleats, even a little bling. "There's lots of color. It's a more artsy look, with lots of geometric prints," he said, adding, "Nothing is plain." His best-selling shirt is a white men's dress shirt that mimics a tuxedo shirt. Island men are pairing it with jeans and moccasins. "It's a mix of casual and dressy," he explained.

Since the majority of men have an aversion to shopping, we did some sleuthing for them to seek out boutiques and stores that have a little something special to offer for men who are looking to up the ante with their clothes.